Tango
by Atlas FF
Summary: Ten years after his discovery in the Whispering Wilds, Tango struggles to fully grasp the spark of his lightning element while his demented past plagues away at his mind. But when all hope seems lost, he soon unravels the clues of his origin and the dark history that follows, leading him beyond the reaches of home to discover something far worse than he could ever imagine.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

There are many places across the dragon realms where one could find the most beautiful sunsets. Places where the golden fingers of the sun dressed in a beautiful dress of warm colors. The different shades of red, yellow, orange and the occasional brush of violet and blue were quite the spectacle to see. And people seemed to enjoy the sunsets more since the war with Malefor had come to a swift end nearly twenty years prior.

But for one little dragon, the edge of the Whispering Wilds was one such place. A place not for him to enjoy the sunset for its colors. But a place for him to soak up the warmth of the ever-descending rays before the darkness swallowed them up until the following day. Because at night, the woods that lay to his rear brought upon the coldest nights he had ever felt in his seven years of life. As well as the meanest of predators that would love to tear him limb from limb with no remorse.

The little electric dragon never ventured far into the woods during the day and never dared set foot in them at night. The fresh scars on his body were constant reminders of the many dangers that the woods held. The sounds alone that echoed off the seemingly dead trees sent chills up his spine. So, he only dared enter when he had to. That was only when his empty belly sent pains throughout his small frame or when his throat felt like a desert.

Despite the scars, he was a handsome little tike. His scales were a bright titanium yellow, and his chest and belly were a dark grey similar to the burnt stones around the area he stayed. His wings maintained the same color pattern. The appendage itself is yellow while the leathery membrane sported the dark grey. Three horns adorned the top of his head and shot backward before sharply aiming towards the sky. The end of each horn looked like they had briefly sunk in a pool of gold. The horns – if looked at from the front – made a pyramid-like shape. The two outer horns being shorter than the lone center horn and two smaller horns jutted out from the sides of the center one.

But his most notable features were his tail blade and his eyes.

The young dragons tail blade looked as though it was from pure obsidian. And it was just as sharp. Four scythe-like blades formed on the tip of the standard length tail. The dragon never had to use it against a foe, but it had proven worthy of slashing at small prey animals like rabbits and mice. But it was his eyes that made him a truly unique dragon to look upon in awe.

While the typical eye color of an electric dragon was either gold or yellow, this young drake sported the most impressive pair of teal-blue eyes. He couldn't help but sit and admire them whenever he caught his reflection in a nearby pond. They seemed to put him into a trance, and he would find himself staring into them for long periods of time.

But his good looks never stopped larger predators from trying to eat him or laying their mark across his pristine scales. The newest addition to his never-ending list of scars, cuts, bumps, and bruises was an extended, shallow cut that ran from the back of his left jawline to the base of his neck. He didn't know what gave it to him, but it was the main reason why he chose to stay away from the woods at night. It had since scabbed over, but it itched a lot, and he found himself dripping dark red blood from scratching away at the scab.

It hurt like hell when the wind blew dust into the wound, and it was even more excruciating when he cleaned it out in the pond.

"Probably shouldn't have gone into the woods," he growled through gritted teeth as he continued to clean the cut in the cold waters of the pond. "But no, my stomach had to feel the need of something inside of it."

His stomach growled in response. It was still empty. He hadn't had anything to eat in nearly three days, and his low energy levels showed a drastic change in his ability to perform simple tasks. He knew his body could last a few more days, but even then, his body would eat away at the small amount of muscle he had built up over the years. The little dragon wasn't prepared to let that happen.

"Maybe I'll find a rabbit on my way back," he whispered to himself.

He leaned down as close to the clear water as he could, his snout mere inches from being consumed in all its wetness. With his right paw, he scooped up some water and attempted to clean out any remaining dirt before he goes home for the night. He hissed in discomfort as one of his sharp claws caught on one of his lose scales, which dug into the wound.

"Gah!" he breathed, his voice filled with pain. He gently pulled the scale out and tossed it into the pond. "I may as well just take them all off."

He strained his vision to try and see the wound in the reflection of the water. His eyes could barely make out the exposed flesh – but to no avail – he couldn't see whether the injury was clean. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued to clean the dirt out of the laceration.

After a couple of minutes of the repeated process, the electric dragon sighed in relief when the stinging sensation in his neck finally subsided. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sunset on the distant horizon. The last little bit of heat felt nice on his scales, and he absorbed every bit of it. He sat down on his haunches and let his mind drift.

For his entire seven years of life, he had lived on the edge of the Whispering Wilds. From the moment he broke out of his yellow egg prison, he had made his surviving living day in and day out outside these woods. The first couple of years were the hardest for him. Not knowing where he was going to lay his head down to sleep or when he was going to fill his belly.

There were those times where he wouldn't eat for a couple of days on end and those countless hours where his body wasn't letting him sleep. Mainly because the stomach pains were so unbearable that the poor dragon couldn't bring himself into a deep slumber, let alone a light snooze. When his body eventually collapsed from exhaustion, the little drake's dreams were plagued by nightmares. Horrible ideas where he thought he was being hurt or was being taken in the middle of the night. A proper, uneventful night sleep seemed right up there with pure fantasy.

But even the youngest must face their demons sometimes.

"Maybe tonight is the night I get some decent sleep," he sighed hopefully, pulling himself to his feet. "But of course, one could dream. Or in my case, have nightmares."

During his walk back to his shelter, he had stumbled on a decent sized rabbit which he quickly killed with a bite to the neck. He had considered bringing it back and cooking it as he found cooked meat to be rather delectable. But his mouth watered at the taste of the rabbit's blood and flesh on his tongue. He engorged himself and consumed the rabbit raw. Its tender meat filled his shrinking stomach quickly, and he found himself satisfied with the meal. He buried the inedible scraps to keep predators away and continued towards home.

His paws carried him to his so-called home, a rock outcropping barely shallow enough to block the wind and some of the harsher elements, but not big enough to support a fire that could sustain itself against the wind. Of course, that was all dependent on which way the wind was blowing. Tonight, felt like a night that was expected to hold some nasty trick up its sleeve. He felt it in his gut, and he hated it when his stomach was right.

Despite such a young age, he could prepare small fires and make a sturdy bit of shelter to prevent him from freezing in the night. All it took was a little ingenuity and brainstorming for the little dragon to figure out. But one could not live without the other. If he had a fire and no shelter, it didn't matter how much heat the light generated. He would eventually succumb to the bitter weather from hypothermia. If he had a tent and no fire, his body would stay protected from the elements, but he wouldn't be able to generate enough heat to battle the cold weather.

He had thought of building up the walls to enclose the heat, but nothing he did seemed to work. He wasn't strong enough to lift rocks half his size to build a high enough wall. And any shelter he had built never stayed up more than a single night. Plus, he always woke up barely able to breathe with all the toxic smoke the fire filled his lungs with.

And he tried finding caves to live in, but none resided outside the Whispering Wilds. Anything he did find was either equal or worse to what he already had. But whenever he did go out to explore the area, he wasn't just looking for somewhere to stay. He had also spent a majority of the time looking for his family.

When he hatched from his egg many years ago, he expected to be greeted by his family. He had heard their voices when he was a few weeks from hatching. They had sounded happy and excited for their baby to be born. He had dreamed of what they might look like, and he wished he would hatch, but he wasn't ready yet. His little heart raced with excitement when he finally felt strong enough to break out and meet them.

But when he finally did break open the top of his egg.

He saw nothing.

He was only a newborn hatchling. No mommy. No daddy. No family to call his own and no name from whatever brought him into this world. At the time he didn't even know what he was and had not a single clue what his parents looked like, but with no idea who they were or where they went, he was stuck on a dead-end street.

It irritated him whenever the idea popped into his mind.

Not knowing who his family was or where they might have gone made him sad on occasion. A tear would form, or his heart would ache from the feeling of abandonment. He wished that someone would show up and take him in, but he knew that to be impossible. He was the only person that he had ever seen his first five years of life until someone eventually did come around. All he could get now were questions. At least those were free. Why would they abandon their baby in the middle of the woods without the ability to defend himself? How did they expect him to survive? What kind of parent does that to their children?

"A stupid, idiotic, incapable, moron of a parent that's who," he always caught himself saying. "They didn't even name me."

But instead of pointing blame, he took the matter of naming himself into his paws. He figured if he was going to die and take his place amongst the stars, he was going to go with dignity and a name to go with it. Even after the heated debate with his conscious, he settled on something that he both liked, and thought was a little unique.

"Tango," he said out of the blue one day while cleaning himself in a pond. He shrugged his shoulders at the name. "I like it. Has a nice ring to it?"

Tango had no real reason for calling himself that. To him, it was simple and easy to pronounce. He laughed hysterically at his previous name ideas as he imagined himself in a battle against some evil force trying to get out his overly complicated name. Some of the alternative names he had considered had letters that should never go next to each other, let alone in the same word.

"I guess I'll take simple and easy over complicated and flustering any day," he grumbled, twisting his neck to crack the stiffness away.

The electric dragon stepped into the cover of the rock outcropping, letting the shade consume his body. He dropped back into his rump and let his blue eyes gaze upon the setting sun. The golden orb was nearing the halfway point, which meant that it was time for Tango to start building his fire and settling in for the night.

The shelter of the outcropping wasn't much. Barely big enough to house his shelter with no room to spare. And his tent wasn't much either. It settled between two rocks pushed against the back wall with a gap in-between vast enough for Tango to barely lay lengthwise and a roof made from branches and leaves. His firepit was a few feet away with a small border of rocks barely shoulder height on three sides, the opening towards Tango's shelter.

The border of rocks didn't help much, but Tango figured he'd leave it. "Best leave something that barely does anything than have nothing at all."

Once he got his fire going, which he started using a piece of flint and his tail blade, he felt a strong draft smack him right in the face. "Not that tonight was going to be memorable or cozy anyway," he mumbled, stretching out his wings feeling the draft against the durable surface before curling up inside his shelter and closing his eyes.

 _If only I knew how to fly, I could get out of this place._

* * *

The wind had been the least of his worries.

Within a few minutes of laying his head down, dark grey almost black clouds formed in the sky. They brought stronger winds as well as a nasty mix of snow and rain. A genuinely horrible combination of Tango's least favorite weather conditions. It wasn't even a few heartbeats later that the snow began to settle on the ground in a thin layer of white. The cold came with it and soon a bone-chilling gust of wind pelted against Tango's scales, sending tingling shivers up and down his body. His shelter was making his life miserable as it acted as a wind tunnel against him.

He curled himself into the tightest ball he could muster. Nearly close enough to squeeze the oxygen out of his lungs. The whistling of the wind battered his ears as he screwed his eyes shut. His body trembled, and he prayed that the wind would just come to a stop. It was at least blowing the fire and its heat his direction, but he knew that it wouldn't last long.

"I'd do anything for this wind to stop," he cried to himself, a tear welling up in the corner of his eye.

Tango never liked the wind. To him, all it brought was destruction and despair. It never made his life easy. Not that he expected growth to be comfortable. But there were occasions where he felt like he'd rather be dead than go through another minute of standing in the cold wind.

The electric dragon cracked his eyes and saw the elements attacking his fire relentlessly. He felt no heat from the light anymore. Struggling to his feet, against his inner protests, he frantically tried to block the wind from reaching his fire. His eyes watered from the constant harassment of the fast-moving air particles and he found himself blinking frequently. The onslaught of the weather made him feel like he was under attack.

Of all the stormy nights he had experienced, this one was by far the worst. Most never picked up more than a breeze and bit of light rain. But Tango never could have predicted what came on this night. Not by a longshot. He'd experienced heavy rains and snow in the past, but tonight was beyond ridiculous.

It didn't seem like it was going to end as Tango continued to put himself in the path of the wind, as the rain and snow began to pick up. Now snow and rain were hitting his side like bullets. But protecting his most precious asset to survival was vital if he was going to make it through the night. He could feel his core temperature slowly dropping as he was peppered with cold air against his scales. Which was starting to take its effects?

His nose was starting to run, and his underside was cold to the touch. The weather was making his immune system break down piece by piece. A nasty bout of coughing began to ensue, and his runny nose started to become impaired with clogging, making breathing a hassle. His entire body shuddered violently, and his knees grew weaker and weaker.

That left him with very few options to consider.

If he moved, the fire would be extinguished in a flash, but he could seek shelter and try to conserve whatever heat his body managed to maintain. Not that it was much anyway.

If he didn't move, there was a possibility that he could salvage his fire, but under the constant barrage of the snow and rain, his body was likely to shut down from hypothermia.

"I…. d-don't know…what to…do," he mumbled to himself, his teeth chattering. "Please…. stop this wind…. I beg of you…. I-I can't take it anymore!"

Tango turned his neck to look at his fire and felt his heart drop as the flames began to wither away despite his best efforts slowly. He watched with a pained look in his eyes as the fire dissipated entirely, leaving nothing but a few hot coals not even big enough to get the fire going again. A fiery rage swelled in his chest as he let out the most heartbroken wail his failing body could muster followed by a raging fit.

His paw smacked the ground as hard as he could, sending an uncomfortable tingle up his entire leg. But he didn't stop there as he continued to beat the dirt, thinking he could get it to submit to his anger. But to no avail, he found himself bleeding extensively from his paw. There was an area of his hand that was missing the skin entirely, and blood slowly oozed out, which he cleaned with his tongue.

He cast his gaze at the night sky, A gap in the clouds revealed a beautiful array of bright stars. Tango forced himself to concentrate on them, hoping to take his mind off the festering cold that consumed him slowly, draining the heat from his core.

After what seemed like an eternity, his legs finally gave into the cold, and he crashed to the ground in a small heap. The barrier around the fire blocked him from most of the wind, but he still felt it against his back.

He still felt cold, and still growing colder. Every inch of his being felt cold to the touch. One would assume he was dead if he fell asleep.

He felt sick to his stomach, and the desire to throw up built up in his throat.

He felt weak. All his strength was fading into what felt like a black hole in his body.

Tango shook vigorously, hoping his body would generate some heat. No heat came.

"By the ancestors!" He wailed. "Why do they hate me so much? I'm just a hatchling doing everything he can to survive. I didn't ask for this life. All I wanted was a family, and even they abandoned me here to die. What did I do to deserve this?" Tears streamed down his cheeks wetting his scales.

His life had never been fair to him. Sleepless nights, severe weather, little food, and dangers beyond his wildest imaginations. There had been days he wished he'd take his tail blade to his throat and let nature take its course. Today wasn't one of those days, but he felt like death was going to come in the form of pain and misery.

"I don't want to die here," he called out, sending out a silent prayer. _Please let me live! I don't want to die here._

Tango closed his eyes, letting his body do its own thing. A numbing sensation began in the tip of his tail, and he felt it move its way up his tail and into his back legs. Eventually up his back and into his front legs and the base of his shoulders. It slowly seeped up his neck and finally ceased at his jawline. His whole body was numb, and he had no feeling in any of his limbs.

Tango felt paralyzed.

A single tear trickled down his cheek. "So….th…this is…it then," he rasped, his throat feeling constricted. "This is how I die." He swallowed hard and choked down a deep breath only for it to shoot back up in a fit of a nasty cough. "This is how the family less dragon goes down. One windy night, huh?"

His breathing was beginning to become labored and shallowed. His muscles grew weak, and he felt frozen in his position, almost paralyzed. Slowly, but surely, his vision was starting to become dimmer to the point anything beyond his muzzle looked blurry. His mind was telling him just to let him rest, but he just knew that he couldn't. Resting now was undoubtedly a one-way ticket to the afterlife. Tango didn't want to die just yet, but under the current circumstances that were almost impossible. He fought to keep his eyelids from caving in on themselves, but it felt like he was holding back the weight of mountains. With a pain-filled sigh, his eyes began to close.

 _I guess my time has come,_ Tango thought, a final tear trickling down his cheek.

Not a second later, he could hear a series of muffled whooshing sounds, and he soon started to feel a little bit of warmth against his belly. It was faint, but he thought it. And he felt it begin to grow more intense until it almost burned his underside. He cast a weak eye at his fire, thinking he was hallucinating. His teal-blue eyes could see his fire crackling as though it had never been blown out in the first place.

His vision began to clear up and the numbness throughout his being subsided into nothingness. He lifted his head slowly, a burning headache making him hiss in discomfort. He fully extended his neck and paused as he realized something was off. The wind was no longer assaulting his home. In fact, he couldn't even hear the wind at all. He shivered as his body still felt cold, despite warming up. Feeling his forehead with a paw, he sighed with annoyance. The cold had given him early stages of a fever, which he dreaded.

Cautiously, Tango struggles to get up onto his paws. His shoulders, thighs, and calves were feeling sore and weak from the cold. Once the waters had been tested with his legs, Tango gazed towards the back of his shelter using the ambient light of the flames. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but he moved towards his poorly made rock shelter and looked it over.

"It's just how I left it," he mumbled quietly. "Something still feels off. The wind doesn't just disappear like that…. unless."

And that's when the feeling finally hit him. The dreadful feeling as though you're being watched. With a gulp and a shudder, Tango slowly peered over his shoulder and immediately felt all his internal organs up in his throat. His heartbeat became rapid and his breathing hyperventilated. He backed up against the back wall of the outcropping, rising onto his shaking hind legs, and pushing his back against it.

Standing roughly thirty feet from him just outside the cover of the rock outcropping were two massive dragons staring directly at him. Behind them was a giant wall of smooth stone that connected to both sides – as well as the roof – of Tango's outcropping seamlessly. As though it had been like that since the dawn of time itself. A large opening to their right symbolized an entryway and a there was a small hole in the ceiling for some unknown reason.

The realization of what they did struck him in the chest. They made the shelter of his dreams by doing nothing at all. _How?_ He wondered.

Tango closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. The dragons hadn't moved, but he made the chance to get a decent look at them. Both dragons were massive compared to him as they were within a few inches of grazing their horns on the ceiling, but there was a slight difference between them give or take a couple of inches. Tango deduced that the one on the left was female and the other being male. But what was most striking was not the size of their bodies, but by how they were colored.

The dragoness on the left was a black scaled with emerald-green eyes with a bright, ruby red underbelly. She had enormous wings with blades on her wing carpals, and the membrane was the same ruby coloration as her belly. She had six beautiful silver-white horns on her head. Tango noticed shiny, metallic bracelets on her wrists as well as a platinum necklace adorned with an emerald-like her eyes. He also saw strange symbols on her forehead, shoulders, and around her eyes. They looked creepy, but on her, they seemed to suit her looks. As for looks, she had a long, slender neck and an attractive body slabbed with small muscles.

 _Is this what dragoness's looked like?_ Tango thought to himself. But his eyes trailed over to the more massive male drake before he could answer his question.

The drake on the right was a massive thing of a dragon. His scales were a bright purple, which seemed like an odd color for a dragon to Tango, and his chest and belly were a golden color. He had two horns on his head as well as some spikes running down the center of his head like a mohawk. His wings, if spread out, looked as though they could touch both sides of the new, enclosed space. They were golden as well with a similar red, ruby membrane as the dragoness. He had some old scars all over his body, possibly from fighting or his fault. Either way, the muscles on the dragon looked chiseled in as though they had been that built up since birth. But what Tango noticed most was the friendly gaze he held in his violet colored eyes.

"W-who are you?" Tango demanded, barring his teeth at the newcomers. "What do you want?"

The dragoness smiled. "My name is Cynder," her voice was smooth and pure, as though this was one of the few times her precious voice left her lips. "And this is my mate, Spyro," she gestured to the purple drake, who nodded curtly. "What's your name?"

"T-Tango," he stuttered. "My name is…. Tango."

"Greetings, Tango," Spyro introduced.

"Why did you ask me my name? You just trying to get my guard down, so you can pounce on me and eat me?" His tone was stern, but not hostile.

"Because we just wanted to get to know you better, little one," Cynder said kindly. "Right, Spyro?"

Spyro nodded curtly. "Yes, of course. And with an interesting name like Tango, we now know we must get to know you better. Besides, anyone that has the nerve to hurt a hatchling has no place in this world. They are our future after all. We'd be lost without them."

Cynder smiled at her mate's kindness but said nothing as she leaned up against him, their scales intermingling comfortably.

Tango eyed them both up and down carefully. He noticed how their muscles were relaxed, their eyes peaceful and innocent, and noticed how they were completely at ease with him. "I guess I can trust you but keep your distance. You may have told me your names and that you don't hurt hatchlings, but that's not enough to make me feel comfortable."

"You're absolutely right," Cynder immediately agreed. "For someone so young I'd have expected you to be pretty naïve."

"That's what happens when you've lived a majority of your life all by yourself where everything around is either trying to kill you or eat you. I would know, I've had my fair share of encounters," Tango grunted with aversion. "And don't insult me by calling me naïve! I'm young, you got points there, but I'm not stupid."

"She didn't mean it that way, Tango," Spyro calmed. "If she insulted you, I apologize for that. She's still kind of new to the whole talking with the little ones." He took her paw in his and squeezed gently. "We both are. But once you get to know Cynder, you can't help but notice how good of a dragon she actually is."

Tango tilted his head at their interaction, getting a weird fuzzy feeling in his chest. _Is that what love looks like? Will I ever get that someday?_ He didn't realize that he was beginning to stare too intently. "Sorry! Got caught in the moment."

"Don't worry about it. When you set your eyes on a pretty dragoness, you can't help but stare." Spyro continued, his voice gentle. "So, tell me Tango, what's a little drake like yourself doing all alone out here in these dangerous woods? Where are your parents? They must be worried sick. You do have parents, don't you?"

Tango felt intimidated by the question. He had the answers, didn't have the confidence of broadcasting them. "Um…. I…. uh…. well….um," he stammered, feeling more discomfort. He felt intimidated by their size, even from a distance they made him feel like he was the size of a newborn. It made his heart pound against his rib cage when he realized that either one of them could swallow him whole with zero difficulty.

Cynder could see the distress in his eyes. "I think we're scaring him," she whispered to Spyro. "We are probably the first dragons he's ever seen besides himself. He already seems stressed as it is. Let's not frighten him."

Spyro barely nodded response. "Let's make ourselves seem smaller than we are. He's definitely overwhelmed by our size. The little sprout is half the size I was when I first left the swamps with Sparx." The purple drake slowly laid down on the ground, dropping his height significantly by a few feet. Cynder followed suit.

"I'm sorry if we scare you, Tango," Cynder apologized sweetly. "But you don't have to worry anymore. We don't have the audacity of hurting a child, especially one as young as you. How old are you exactly?"

Tango shuddered. "I-it's okay. I just…. I've never seen another dragon in the flesh before. My mind was starting to play some evil tricks on me right there. I didn't know how big we got. I'm seven years old."

"Believe me," Spyro chuckled. "I'm small compared to some of the larger dragons back home." If Tango's scales could go pale, that's what they'd be like right now. "But of course, they are all very nice dragons and dragoness's. Many are our friends, some even feel like family."

"What about your family, Tango?" Cynder asked, trying to move on to another subject.

Tango swallowed the massive lump forming in his throat. He wasn't ready to answer that question just yet. "If I tell you something, can I know something…. about you?" The black dragoness nodded. "Well…. I've lived under this outcropping my entire seven years of life, but I haven't been alone the whole time. I never learned how to fly, and I guess I can say that I'm smart enough to get by pretty well without getting myself killed."

The two older dragons smirked at his slight bit of humor. "For one so young, you do have at least a sense of hilarity. Now, what would you like to know? We're an open book, ask away."

"Where are you from exactly? I don't ever see dragons in these parts," Tango asked blatantly.

Spyro was the one who answered. He went into detail about their home, the dragon city of Warfang. He went into further about the many amenities the city offered and how it housed thousands of dragons from across the entire realms. When Tango asked how something so significant could even be possible, Spyro answered merely, "It was made by moles."

"Moles?" Tango answered, his voice drenched in disbelief. "How could something so small create something that big? Especially an entire city, which I presume is immense."

"If you were to stand in the center of the city, you could walk five miles in any direction before hitting the huge walls that border it," Cynder added. "While it took the moles many, many years to accomplish such a feat, it was well worth it in the long run. The relationship between moles and dragons are much stronger than they used to be. Of course, Spyro and I are too young to know what the past was like before."

"How old are you?" Tango asked, trying not to come off as rude.

"We're both thirty-eight," Spyro replied, unfazed by the question. "Back to the previous question we asked, you said that you haven't been alone out here your whole life, but you also said you've never seen dragons around here. So, who else have you known in your life?"

Tango winced at the question, like it had struck a nerve that had long since been buried. "About two years ago, give or take a couple of months, I met an elderly mole wandering aimlessly throughout the woods while I was trying to hunt. The silly old lady scared off a rabbit. I had been starving for days and I about ate her." Tango smirked, pointing at a scar on his chest. "While she was small and frail, old Flower packed a nasty punch with that cane she carried around."

"Flower? Was that her name?" Cynder asked.

Tango nodded. "That's what she called herself, but at the time, I had never spoken a word in my life. Her language was unusual to me. Until I met Flower, I had been using clicks, pops, whistles and any other sounds I could make with my mouth; mimicking the sounds of birds and small animals. I got pretty good at it, being able to call my food to me. But after being around her for only a few moments, I knew that I wanted to learn from her."

"You convinced someone to teach you a new language with a language that only you knew? That's pretty impressive. What did you do?" Spyro asked.

"I sat down in front of her and made myself seem confused when she spoke, but I stared at her with curiosity. I guess it worked because she made herself at home here in this outcropping and got right to work teaching me. I'll admit the first couple of weeks were frustrating for the both of us, but I was able to scrounge up my first sentence and answer simple yes or no questions."

"What was your first sentence?"

"I is tired, so I is going to sleep," Tango snickered. "Speaking fluently now, I understand how stupid that sounds, but it's a good laugh."

"Better than most hatchlings," Cynder agreed. "They just say their name and whatever they want like, _'Cynder food or Spyro play.'_ Little simplistic combinations of two words that parents have to figure out because they often times mean a completely different thing."

"She's not wrong. The little ones tend to be the biggest handfuls and are extremely picky," Spyro said. "Would you mind if we moved a little closer? I feel like I have to shout to speak to you." Tango nodded, and both dragons rose their feet slowly and cut the distance to Tango in half before laying back down.

Cynder immediately saw the cut on his neck and her gaze filled with worry. "You're hurt!"

Tango knew she was talking about the cut on his neck. She must have seen the pink flesh that hadn't yet scabbed over. He immediately tried to cover the cut but failed miserably. "It's nothing," he insisted. "I've taken care of it. It's fine."

Cynder immediately closed the gap between them, startling Tango who lashed out with an outstretched paw, his claws poised to injure. She avoided his sudden lashing out and looked closer at his wound where his hand wasn't covering "Nothing is never fine," she asked inquisitively. "How on earth did you get a cut like this? It's a perfect slash, like it was made with a knife or really sharp claws."

Tango removed his paw and let Cynder look at it better. "Walked into the woods, got attacked by something, got scratched slashed or whatever you say it to be, got the heck out of there with my life still intact. Why you some doctor?" He rolled his eyes.

Cynder shook her head as he rolled his eyes. "No, but I have a little bit of medical experience to know that your wound is going to become infected if I don't treat it. You didn't clean it properly either. Do you have any red healing crystals?'

"Sure, just let me consult with the imaginary cave of crystals and see if I can get some," Tango said, his body tense. Cynder was becoming too close for comfort. "Guess he's not available at the moment, sorry, come back again later. No, I don't have any red healing crystals. You know how hard those things are to come by in these woods? I'm lucky if I can find a decent patch of them, but I have to use them because I get hurt from the things that lurk in the forest."

Spyro snickered at the shocked look on Cynder's face but screwed his mouth shut when she gave him a silencing glare. He still stifled a laugh, which she promptly whacked him over the head with her tail blade causing a protest from Spyro.

"Hey!" Spyro exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What was that for? That hurt."

"Oh, quit your whining, you're a big baby," Cynder countered. "I barely touched you."

"See what I have to deal with, Tango?" Spyro whispered, which earned him another hit in the head. "I almost envy your lifestyle. No crazy dragoness's to deal with."

"Who are you calling crazy?" They were young adult dragons, and Tango couldn't but let his muzzle drag a smile out of him. He loathed their back and forth banter, occasionally letting out a chuckle. Cynder couldn't help but feel fonder of Tango's smile. "You know….. you remind me of someone very close to my heart."

"Who….. me?" Tango questioned, pointing a single claw at himself.

"Stay right there," Cynder nodded and moved to stand by her mate. "Doesn't he remind you of someone?"

Spyro looks at her with a confused look. "What do you mean? I don't follow."

Cynder dipped her head back at Tango. "Just look at him," she said, softly.

The purple scaled drake shifted his gaze back to Tango and looked at him intently. The little drake held a modest posture, and he couldn't help but notice the kindness in his young eyes. The electric dragon looked directly into his eyes and smiled brightly. The realization finally hit Spyro, and he smiled back at Tango.

"He reminds me of Avala," Spyro breathed, looking at his mate. "The body language is strikingly similar and the way he smiles and looks at you. How he holds himself high and confident. Same level of intelligence and sarcasm too. I see my little girl."

"I noticed it too," Cynder grinned. "But not in the same way. Did you notice how he backed up as far away from us as possible and observed his environment? He saw the entrance and the roof almost immediately. He about gave me a decent slash across my muzzle. We're lucky he let us get closer by building that trust."

Spyro was in complete disbelief. "Just like I had taught Avala. By the ancestors, how did I not see it?"

Tango had been eavesdropping on the two older dragons the entire time. The way they looked at him with their penetrating eyes sent an unusual new feeling up and down his body making his skin crawl. But his pettiness created more questions, and he knew which one to start with.

"Who is Avala?"

Spyro sighed. "I told you that you were never good at whispering." He nuzzled Cynder good-humoredly.

"Maybe I wanted him to hear us," Cynder sniggered, nuzzling him under his chin only to stop at the sound of Tango clearing his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt your rather intimate moment, but I have a question to ask you," Tango began, his voice stern. "Who is Avala?"

"Fair enough," Spyro beamed a smile. "Avala….. is my, I mean, our daughter," he opened. "A beautiful little ice dragoness a little bigger than you and older by about a year. Sweetest little thing that girl. Super smart and friendly to everyone she meets. Loves being with us every single day."

"So why isn't she here?"

Cynder stepped forward. "Believe me. The little stinker wanted nothing more than to accompany us on this journey. She always did have that adventurous little spirit from the moment she hatched. Little troublemaker would get stuck up in high places or in nooks and crannies we always had to coax her out of. The little terrorist was a tough negotiator."

"That doesn't answer my question, Cynder," Tango added respectfully. "You said she was adventurous so why not let her come with you on this adventure?"

"She's only eight-and-a-half years old, Tango," Spyro answered. "It's far too dangerous out here for one so small and young. The only time she ever leaves the city walls is when she is with us, but we dare not take her further than the Valley of Avalar."

"But I've lived out here all my life," Tango inquired. "And I've managed to get by just fine. What difference is it between her and me?"

"She wasn't born into this life, Tango. She doesn't fully understand what evil things lurk beyond what she knows to be safe. You, on the other hand, you've lived amongst that evil your entire life. You've had to adapt and overcome obstacles no hatchling should ever have to overcome. Your life has been an everlasting battle which seems to have no end."

"I'm sorry for sounding brash. My people skills aren't exactly up to par with that of others," Tango said apologetically. "Your methods don't seem to make much sense to me, but I won't inquire further about it. I've already heard enough."

"Do not worry, little one," Spyro nodded his understanding. "You have been following what your heart is telling you. I cannot blame you for how you are feeling. Being out here in the wilderness has seemed to have a positive effect."

"How's that?"

"It has made you wise," Cynder rejoined. "For a dragon your age, it is not very easy to come by. In many years, you may be as wise as some of the elders in Warfang." She bowed her head in respect.

Tango smiled at the gesture, but a cold feeling wash over him. He shook his head, and it seemed to disappear. "You mentioned the Valley of Avalar earlier? What is that?"

"It's the land where the cheetahs live. A smart, strong, and cunning people. Stand as tall as my shoulder, covered head to tail in spotted fur, and they walk on two legs. They live in small villages and choose to live off the land only taking what they need to survive. Crafting their tools, using plants and herbs as medicine, and building their shelters. In a way, you are like them even if your methods are a little unorthodox."

"What's wrong with my methods?"

"Sorry to be blunt, but you aren't the best at conserving the heat of your fire or building shelter that will keep you warm. We were lucky enough to find you in time, or else you may have died," Spyro said, a thin trace of humor in his words.

"Yeah…. I guess you have a point." Tango once again felt the bitter feeling envelop him. This time, he felt a little light headed and his paws stumbled slightly, barely keeping him upright. He felt cold shivers across his body, but his scales were warm to the touch. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, seeing Cynder standing over him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

Tango nodded his head but saw his vision fade to black as blood rushed to his head. "I'm fine, just a little headache," he lied, hoping they didn't see through it. "And about my methods. They are my own, but Flower never seemed to mind them. She was warm each night and didn't complain about a little wind."

"I think she was lying to you," Spyro joked. "My friend, Hunter, would shame me indefinitely if he ever saw me build something like you have here. He's a cheetah from Avalar. Great warrior and an even better friend."

"Ouch," Tango said, trying to sound hurt. "If you send me his information, I'm sure I can learn a thing or two. But I do what I have here to get by even if it tries to kill me."

"Just pointing out a defect," Spyro defended. "Can't help myself sometimes. Sorry for being too frank."

Tango could see that he was being genuine instead of trying to pour more salt into the open wound. Flower had taught him many things, including how to read people's actions and emotions in their basic forms.

"Before you said that you made your first sentence, what happened after that?" Cynder asked easing the obvious tension between the two.

"After a couple of more months of her teaching me, I slowly started to speak in her tongue better and better with each passing day. My sentences made more sense, they flowed better, and I could carry on a conversation for a while until she smacked me with a word I'd never heard before. And then she actually smacked me with her cane. _Silly dragon with silly questions,_ was what she told me each and every time."

"Sounds like every elderly dragon I've ever met," Spyro smirked. "Good sense of humor, but still intimidating and violent enough to put the fear of the ancestors in the toughest dragons. Plus, they're tough as nails."

"And she was tough," Tango said, his eyes down casted to the ground. The sad memory playing in his mind.

"Was?"

Tango took a deep shuddered breath, the weird cold feeling making another appearance before disappearing. "She lived here with me for six months. Taught me everything I know about the world, and I was glad that I had met someone like her. In that moment, I had found someone I could call family." A tear began forming in his eye. "She passed away peacefully in her sleep. Never had I felt that kind of loss. I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to be happy? Sad? Angry? Disappointed?"

Cynder placed a paw on his shoulder. "You could have felt all of those emotions. You could have been happy that you finally got to have the feeling of family, sad, maybe angry, that she died unexpectantly, and disappointed that you couldn't learn anymore of her wisdom. You were lucky enough to have her in your life. You'll remember this mentor for the rest of your life."

"I didn't even get to tell her thank you or how grateful I was," Tango whispered. "But I did let her know when I buried her in the same place where I first met her. It was the least she deserved for all that she had done for me."

"I had a mentor just like her," Spyro said tenderly. "The first dragon I ever met in my life had to tell me what I was before anything. I thought I was a dragonfly for the first fifteen years of my life until I had met Ignitus." He was glad to see a smile form on the young drake's face. "But in his teachings, I was introduced to a whole new light about the world that I lived in and I would do anything to protect it. And in it, I found love." He stared into his mates eyes, seeing the same old love hadn't skipped a beat.

Tango watched the loving glances they exchanged, the fuzzy feeling tickling him in the stomach. But he felt the cold feeling immediately wash over him. His legs buckled forward, and he fell into Cynder's open arms, his entire body shook fiercely. "Yeah, I think there is something wrong with me?" His voice chattered through shaking teeth.

Cynder moved her paws up and down his body. "By the ancestors, Tango, you're burning up. Red crystals won't help sickness, only wounds. You need herbs. Spyro! Look around for borage leaves, feverfew, or even some lavender. They'll ease his fever. I'm going to try and keep him warm." Her voice seemed panicked and stressed.

Without another word, Spyro left the shelter of the outcropping.

"Cynder, I'm fine," Tango coughed, attempting to stand up. He failed miserably as he was kept down.

Without hesitation, Cynder pressed him against her belly and curled herself around him. She knew that he would protest, but her motherly instincts knew she was doing the right thing. That her body would keep him warm, so his fever didn't become something worse. "I know this may seem a little weird, but you have to trust me, okay?"

Tango didn't get off a response as the warmth radiated off her body directly into his. He could feel the clash of temperatures raging war between them. His body continued to tremble as he could only think of the way she had spoken to him. It was a complete shock to him that a stranger was helping him battle his sickness.

Cynder twisted her head around and looked down upon him. "Why didn't you say anything? We could have helped you."

"I thought I could beat the sickness," Tango answered, his voice hoarse. "I can see that I was wrong about that."

Cynder smiled. "I can see your sense of humor doesn't go away no matter the conditions. It's a good quality to have."

"Helps me get through the tough times since I don't have Flower with me anymore," Tango said. "I miss her so much."

"I know," Cynder reassured. "But she is in a better place and she is watching over you. Those little voices in your head is her advice and knowledge speaking to you. No matter what, she'll live on because of your memory of her."

"Thanks, Cynder," Tango whispered.

"I want you to try and rest for a little bit. There is no telling when Spyro will be back, and I don't want to pass them up the opportunity to let you get some sleep. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Tango peered up at her and nodded his head shakily. "Cynder?"

"Yes."

"I-I'm scared! I've never felt this sick before in my life. It feels worse than a fever."

Cynder gently wrapped her tail snuggly around him, "You'll be okay, I promise. It's probably just some after-effects from earlier."

"When I fall asleep, will you stay with me?" His voice begged. "I've been alone without anyone for over a year, but right now I can't stand the possibility of dying alone."

"You're not going to die, Tango," she said softly. "I'll be right here until you wake up. Get some rest okay."

A tear welled in his eyes, and Tango let out a deep sigh. He looked up at her one more time, and for the first time since Flower died, he felt the love and affection he had been withheld from since she left the world. He could see the love in her eyes as she leaned down and pressed her forehead against his cheek. Her soft touch left a grin on his face as he rested his head against her tail.

She watched him with the same love she had for her daughter, Avala. Cynder could feel something in her heart open and, in its place, she could handle this new love fill the spot in her heart. Letting out a silent yawn, she laid her head on her paws and draped a wing over the precious bundle against her belly. No matter what, come dawn, she was taking Tango home with her. She needed him as much as he needed them. A new chapter was beginning in her life, and the first few sentences were about him.

"Welcome to the family, little one," she whispered before allowing the peacefulness of sleep wash over her.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I hope you liked it. I spent so much time writing it and trying to infuse it with as much detail as I could muster. In terms of updating this story, I'm not set on a solid schedule yet. If you've been on my author page, you will learn that I am indeed in the military and the military keeps me busy. So updates might be spaced for between months. I'll try my best though. Again, I hope you enjoyed it. If you'd like to leave a review, feel free. Like I said up top, I can't demand anything of you.**

 **Thanks again and I'll catch you on the flip side!**

 **Atlas FF Out!**


	2. Warmth of the Rising Sun

**Act I : Rising** **Storm Within**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Warmth of the Rising Sun**

* * *

Despite being a huge, and populated city, the air was crisp and fresh and filled the lungs of every early riser that stepped foot onto the cobblestone paths that covered every square inch of the city. The rising of the dawn sun fought against the darkness that still lay over the dragon city of Warfang. The barren thoroughfares slowly, but surely, started to come alive with its citizens as markets and business throughout begins to open. All of them excited and ready for what looked to be a bright and warm day.

But for a particular electric dragon, today seemed like the perfect day to sleep the morning away.

His home lay off in the far corner of the hustling, bustling metropolis, a sizeable six-story building squatted amongst smaller, equally stunning houses no more than three stories tall. The window into his bedroom was set in on the fifth floor.

The sun had yet to show its bright, ugly face in the dimness of his room. He laid comfortably on a pile of cushions with no blankets to cover him. Despite the warmth that they brought to him, he never did feel comfortable sleeping with them, even if it had been ten years since he was taken in. Until he was woken up by either the sun or some other unknown entity, his mind continued to rest calmly. But he thought about the day he met them and the days that ensued.

 _\- Ten Years Earlier -_

Ten years ago, when he first met Spyro and Cynder, he had never thought that the first two dragons that he had ever met would accept him into their home with open arms. They had stayed with him in his shelter for five whole days until the sickness that had enveloped him dissipated from his system. What Cynder thought to be just a fever was wrong.

The wound on Tango's neck had become infected and made his body weaker. For the entirety of their stay in what they started to call _Tango's Manor,_ they had to take care of Tango as though he was a newborn hatchling. The electric dragon was even as stubborn as a hatchling too. He had protested whenever Spyro tried to feed him or quench his thirst like he was incapable.

But when the sickness had finally broken away from the poor Drake, and the infection had stopped thanks to a few red crystals Spyro had managed to scrounge up, they had found that Tango was far too weak to travel. He felt drained to the point his body was eating energy faster than he could rebuild it. Which proved a further problem, because despite having the crystals to fix the simple issue, Spyro didn't want to give Tango any green crystal shards.

"You know what excessive use of these crystals can do to a dragon, Cynder," Spyro protested. "I'm not going to kill him by trying to save him."

"If he doesn't get the crystals, Spyro, he is going to….," she trailed off, not brave enough to say the words caught in her throat. The black dragoness sobbed quietly. "I don't want to lose him, Spyro."

Spyro approached his mate slowly, giving her a reassuring nuzzle, which seemed to relax her nerves. "We're not going to lose him. The herbs I collected will kick in, and he'll be fine."

"You gave those herbs to him days ago, and he's become worse," she countered. "I can't stand the possibility of him not making it when we can fix his problems easily."

"You've only just met him, Cynder," Spyro said. "You can't tell me you've gotten attached already."

"I know I've only just met him, but he's a helpless hatchling that needs our help. I haven't seen you lay with him to keep him warm or anything," Cynder snapped.

"He wouldn't have a full belly or a quenched thirst if it weren't for me," Spyro added, his tone a bit aggressive. "You can't play the 'I'm the only one doing anything' card this time."

"As if I ever do," she muttered, "Now either you give me a green crystal, or I'm going to go and get it myself."

"Why do you insist on using more crystals, Cynder?" Spyro groaned. "He's already gone through three red crystals as it is. If you think to give him another might save him, then you're delusional. It could easily start crystalizing him."

A burning rage built up in Cynder's chest, and her eyes stared blades into her mate's body. "That's a risk I am willing to take if it means he lives."

"You know what, fine," Spyro said blankly, dropping a green crystal at her paws. "If you want to be fully responsible for the negatives that crystal might bring, then be my guest. But I don't want the one that crystalizes a baby dragon. If it does happen, I won't even say I told you so," he said before storming out of the cave.

Cynder had never seen her mate speak as though he never had a beating heart in his body. But she knew where he was going with his argument and the origins behind it.

The thing about the crystals, which either grew naturally in deposits around the realms or were grown artificially, was that if too many were consumed in a short period, the user could quickly become addicted to them. The beneficial properties of the crystals were also a dangerous path to turning them into a gateway drug. But the addiction eventually turned into something far worse.

The moles called it _crystallizing_.

When the user's body started to turn into good, usable crystals.

It started in the digestive system and worked its way out from there until the host dragon was entirely consumed. Each dragon had their limits before symptoms of crystallizing became visible. I noticed early on, a dragon could easily be saved. But everyone's limit was different based off multiple factors like body size, muscle to fat ratios, metabolism, eating habits, age, the list continued like a full-length novel.

There were even some dragons, those who were either too sick or too old to continue living, that chose to crystalize their bodies for the benefit of others. A very painful, but very noble gesture.

Spyro had close friends who lost their lives to, and he wasn't prepared to let a hatchling die because of it. Cynder sympathized with her mate, as the friends he lost were good friends of hers too. But she was willing to take the risk if it meant that Tango, a little dragon she had come to love dearly, would live. So, against her mate's wishes, she broke off a small, but significant, sized crystal and fed it to Tango. She watched as the green energy flowed through his yellow scaled body. Her risk of crystallizing the little yellow drake

Her heart finally settled when he woke up. He was still weak, but his body could build his energy reserves again. He smiled brightly at her fondness when she kissed him on the forehead.

"Cynder?" he said faintly. "Why were you two fighting?"

She exhaled and explained why they were fighting.

"Why is he mad?" Tango asked when Cynder mentioned her mate storming off.

"He's just scared of losing you, Tango. He's the same way with Avala as well. The dope gets protective of the things he loves," Cynder explained. "But he can get a little unstable if he feels he can't do anything to save someone."

"Spyro loves me?"

Cynder smiled, nuzzling him. "He does. You might not notice it, but he does care about you. He's always wanted children, but when we first brought Avala home, I could tell there was still an opening in his heart. With he first met you, I think that void was filled. He didn't want me to do something I might regret."

"But I feel so much better than before," Tango insisted. "My body feels tired, but the energy is racing through my veins with no way to channel it."

"An unfortunate side effect of fully draining your energy. Your body must completely heal and rest before all that pent-up energy can come out again. Now lay back your head down and get some rest. We're leaving in the morning."

"Okay," Tango yawned before shifting closer to her. He laid his head down and let the sleep take him.

They left for Warfang that next morning and made it back just as the night overwhelmed the brightness of the daytime. Avala was awake when they returned home, which prompted a gentle scolding from her mother, but she didn't seem to notice Tango. Cynder knew it was better to leave that sailing ship to her mate. So, to avoid any possible snooping from the ice dragoness, they had opted to have Tango sleep with them.

The electric drake didn't give as much as a single objection as the trio settled into bed and slept the night away.

That following morning, Cynder snuck off with Tango while Spyro took care of Avala. The purple dragon loved the alone time he got with his daughter. Saving the world was one thing that he was known for, but not many people knew how big of a sweetheart he was when it came to his daughter. But she was the boss whenever the two were alone.

She had her father wrapped around her claw, and there was nothing that he could do about it. There was the one time where Avala had drawn on all over his chest scales, and Spyro lets her. Cynder didn't find it funny to see her mate turned into a drawing board, but the smile on her daughter's face convinced her otherwise.

When Cynder brought Tango into the clinic, she got a lot of weird looks from the moles and dragons that worked there. It raised a lot of questions, and Cynder quickly explained to them what was going on. The doctors and nurses didn't ask for anything more before taking Tango into a room and proceeding with check-ups where she was barraged with more questions.

"Where was he found?"

"What's his medical history?"

"How many crystals has he consumed?"

Cynder answered each question with a growing annoyance. She knew they were important, but all she cared about was getting him home and away from the prying eyes of the people of Warfang.

When the doctors were done with the examination, Cynder brought him home and immediately went to work obtaining new documentation stating that Tango was a new member of the family. Of course, no one was the wiser to try and stand between the former Terror of the Skies and her family. Life was going to be more of a challenge with two children to take care of, but the reward of it was going to be worth it. Tango was now apart of their family, and nothing was going to change that.

 _\- Present Day –_

The only window in Tango's room took up more than two-thirds of the wall opposite the doorway. The sun now fully engulfed it, filling his office with a warm glow, and revealing the focal points spread out across the young drake's private space. In each corner of the room was a bookshelf that went all the way to the ceiling, their shelves packed with many works of literature. His bed of red, quality silk cushions laced together with silver stitching lays opposite the door.

On the right wall, there were five different paintings all representing the five essential elements of dragons. From left to right they were ordered fire, ice, electricity, earth, and wind. Tango felt his element deserved to be the centerpiece of the paintings. Some would call it selfishness, but he liked to think that he was prideful of the abilities that he was blessed with since birth. Of course, he was only able to hone his electric element at the age of twelve, unlike the age of ten like all the other young drakes and dragoness's.

On the opposite side of the room, there was a mirror affixed to the wall made from obsidian dulled down to an almost satin appearance. To either side was an array of weaponry Tango and his father had collected over the years. Swords, axes, maces, spears, bows, claws decorated the wall, all of them enchanted to keep strangers from picking them up without permission. Many of them were gifts from the guardians and the cheetahs of Avalar, but some of them were of the design that he had built in the temple's armory with the armorer that worked there. A fire dragon called Evigt whom he made friends with the moment they met.

He had daggers and knives, but they were used to build the impressive chandelier that hung from his ceiling. Enchanted with runes to light up on command specific blades were used for the light source themselves; with the help of a few enchantments of course. It hung by a rectangular chain made from gold with silver symbols etched into each chain.

Tango had two chests by the door, one on each side. Besides the enchanted locks that only opened on his command with a unique phrase, there was nothing special about them. They were made from wood and metal with metal being the exterior finish and timber making the walls on the inside. One held clothing and armor used for special occasions, and the other was used as his treasure chest. Anything he held of value to him was in that chest. No one knew how much he had in there, or if there was anything in there at all.

In the center of the room, the floor sunk down into a basin and in the center of that basin was a table made from the trunk of a giant, redwood tree roughly eight feet across all the way around. Something that Tango personally sought after to accomplish since his last desk had mysteriously decided to kill itself by throwing itself out the window. There was a short funeral involving his fireplace later that day. Some tears were shed, but they were tears of joy.

Tango despised that rickety old table. Never suited his needs and was a complete eyesore compared to the eye candy he had now. He loved the finished result of his weeks of hard work. The electric dragon kept the bark texture on the edge of the table, smoothed it all down to a soft touch, put a dark color finish which added to the already beautiful red color and sealed it too. The one-month project put the drake into a peaceful state of mind just like all his other mini projects.

He had an entire bookshelf dedicated to his crafts he had made over the years. Sculptures made from many materials like clay, wood, metal, rock, glass, and even bones of small animals. Many of the statues depicting places he had visited or people he had seen or met. The rest was simple, yet elegant, pieces of art with no real depiction. Like any art, it is how one sees it rather than the way the artist intended it to be.

He was in a peaceful state of mind now.

The sun warmed his scales, and he hummed happily. But his happiness was soon to be short-lived as his door started to open. It creaked deafeningly but didn't seem to faze the sleeping drake. Standing in the doorway was Spyro.

"Tango," he called, stepping into the room. "It's time to get up."

The yellow teenage dragon shifted ever so slightly in his bed but didn't seem to hear his father speaking to him.

Spyro stepped into the room, admiring the cleanliness and organization. He paused to appreciate the sculptures that decorated one of the bookshelves nestled in the corner. His son always was a crafty thing whether it be with his paws or with his mind. Lumbering over to the bed to hover over his son the purple drake smirked at the humorous position the boy was laying in.

Tango was laying on his back with his legs sticking straight in the air, and his paws bent at the wrist. His wings were spread eagle, and his muzzle was ajar enough to let his tongue hang out freely. The young dragon had nearly doubled in size since being adopted into the family.

Spyro stifled a laugh as he lightly nudged Tango's flank with his muzzle.

"Tango!"

The yellow drake jolted awake and looked up at his father, who loomed over him with a big smile on his face. "What's the big idea? Can't a growing dragon get their sleep?" his voice was easy-going and filled with drowsiness.

"What I thought you liked the early mornings?"

"I do, but you know I stay up late to study or make evil plans to annoy Avala to the best of my ability."

"Oh, is the little dragon mad that I woke him up?" Spyro mocked, his voice sounding like that of a child. "Do you want me to tuck you back in and let you sleep longer?"

"I mean since you're so generous and still standing over me like I'm a newborn hatchling, I figured you wouldn't mind," Tango said, his words tainted with sarcasm.

"Yeah, your flattery could still use some work," Spyro usually said, a big smile spread across his muzzle.

"And why are you smiling? See something you like? Or did Avala do something embarrassing and you just had to tell me?"

Spyro chuckled at his son's bitterness. "Unfortunately, not today. It's just that you still sleep in the funniest position after ten years, and I just thought that was funny. Now come on, Cynder has breakfast downstairs. And then you and Avala are walking _together_ to the academy. You're meeting Masters Cyril and Volteer for private lessons after your last class and we both know she won't let any of us leave without putting something in our bellies."

Tango snickered at the fear his dad had for his mom. "Well if she didn't try cramming it down my throat and threaten me with with murder, maybe I wouldn't try and sneak off to a stall for food on the way to school."

"I was wondering why you were getting a little fat," Spyro joked, dodging a cushion thrown at his head. "I'm kidding. Lighten up , Mr. Drowsy."

"Why are Avala and I getting private lessons?" Tango said rolling over to his side, but remaining in a laying position. "Is it for my outstanding behavior and good looks that they just had to hand me the title of apprentice electric guardian in person?"

"Not likely if you just wait for something like that to happen." Spyro shrugged and stepped towards the door. "But, they seemed pretty excited about it. Now let's go, you two leave in an hour. And I don't want your mother to drag me into another shadow again like she did yesterday. My muscles still hurt from the beating she gave me in there."

Tango grumbled at his father's misfortune and laid his head back down. "Give me a few minutes. I'll be right down."

The large drake stopped in his tracks and craned his neck over his shoulder, seeing his boy trying his hardest to fall back asleep. "Nice try, but you aren't fooling me. So, I'll give you two options. Either you get up and save us both the embarrassment or I put you in a hatchling hold and carry you. What's it going to be?" He noticed the look in his son's eyes, and he knew the look all too well.

Tango was trying to call his bluff.

"I'm seventeen and a half, I don't think it's possible to put me into a hatchling hold," Tango protested, a daring look in his eyes.

"Embarrassment it is then," Spyro huffed as he turned on his son, a serious, yet playful, look in his eyes. "Last chance."

"You're not dragging me out of this bed," Tango said, almost sounding severe.

Spyro shrugged. "You're right. I'm not." He tensed his muscles, ready to pounce on the much smaller drake as he approached him like a stalking predator, his belly mere inches off the ground.

Tango observed his father's fluid movements with wide eyes. He cautiously backed up until his rump bumped into the window sill. If he was fast enough, he might have attempted to jump out the window and fly away, but the repercussions of his father having to chase him down would be catastrophic and to be honest, quite humiliating to any lucky passerby. As much as he believed in the whole the third time is the charm, he wasn't willing to make that kind of commitment.

There was no chance of him trying to run past his father as the purple dragon crouched low only a few feet away, making Tango uncomfortable. He looked into his fathers violet eyes that invited him to the challenge, but Tango knew better than to trifle with that he knew he had zero chance of defeating.

"Now, now let's not do anything we might regret," Tango said fearfully, feeling hot in his skin. "And what do you mean you're not dragging me out of this bed?"

"Because," Spyro lunged at the unsuspecting dragon as he spoke. He easily overpowered his son, who fought back with all the strength he could muster, which was a lot. But not enough to take on the legendary purple dragon himself. Not by a longshot. He held Tango down easily with one paw and leaned down to whisper into his ear. "I said I was going to carry you in a hatchling hold. And I know the longest, most uncomfortable route down to the kitchen."

"Let me up," Tango grunted, trying to wiggle out of his father's grip, but to no purpose, his father only applied more pressure. "Let…. Up….. need… air."

"You do realize that you can breathe fine," Spyro snickered evilly. "My paw is on your shoulder. You should be wriggling around in discomfort. Do I need to make it worse? Say…. With a little ice or maybe a little fire?" Tango's eyes shot open with trepidation and Spyro sniffed the air around his son. "Is that fear scent I smell?"

Tango smirked at his father. "Unlikely. You must be smelling your scales. Perhaps you fear what I might do to you if I come loose from your hold. Yeah, I saw the terror in your eyes. Better get me in a hatchling hold before it's too late."

"Not taking that chance," Spyro said as he leaned down and locked his jaws around the back of Tango's head.

The hatchling hold.

A simple, and very effective parenting method as old as dragons themselves. Used to subdue a disobedient hatchling, but also the safest way of carrying them in your jaws. By merely grabbing a hatchling by his head, or in this case a teenager, and with the right amount of pressure, the child is immediately put into a paralytic state. They are entirely aware to the entire world around them and luckily enough for the parent, the child couldn't speak while being carried. The most they could do was make small noises. When a dragon turns eighteen, the nerve that initiates the hold disappears completely.

Too bad Tango wasn't turning eighteen years old for a couple more months.

As expected, Tango went utterly limp in Spyro's jaws. His throat hummed with a chuckle as Tango let out an angry groan. Spyro was delicate with his footsteps as he carried his child into the hallway, closing the young drake's door with his tail as he left. He moved Tango the quick, and gentle way to the dining room to save him the ear filling later.

The Spyro family home was an engineering marvel and the only one of its design in the entire city. The large house splits into the central family area with three different wings. The central building was cylindrical and was completely open from top to bottom with a skylight to allow the natural light to fill the home with an inviting glow. Platforms were built to enable dragons to fly from each floor without the need to use the stairs, which made it easier to move about the house and get between each wing faster.

The three wings of the already large home stayed the traditional rectangular shape and were five stories in height with large gathering areas on each rooftop. The south side, opposite the grand entryway, was where the family slept, gathered, and spent most of their waking hours when at home. The west wing housed the family's vast library, private study halls, elemental training ring, and student dorm rooms. The west side was where the academy trained and taught all the top prospects. The only entrance was from the outside to keep nosy students from snooping around the private residence. The east wing was a glorified version of a guest house as well as a multi-leveled gym that spanned the top three stories.

Spyro stepped out onto the fifth story platform of the south wing, his destination being the same wing but down three stories. He held a firm grip on his son and leaped off the platform and glided down with ease before landing on the platform below.

Tango grunted, his noise barely audible. He felt a small vibration from his father and realized that he was laughing. _When I get out of this hold, the things I will do?_ He said in his head. His eyes watched as he was carried into the dining room and the rest his gaze immediately on his sister.

Avala was drinking from a bowl when her father walked in with her brother in his jaws. The first thing she did was spit out whatever in her mouth and choked on the remnants. She started to laugh mockingly at her brother as Tango was dropped on the floor.

The electric drake jumped to his paws, his body aching from the instant relief of not being paralyzed. "That was undignified, demeaning, and embarrassing. I'm almost eighteen, and this is how I am treated." He stretched his body like a cat to work out the stiffness that ravaged his muscles, feeling some bones in his neck and back crack.

"Mom, did we let trade Tango for Master Volteer?" Avala asked, poking her tongue at her brother.

"Just because I speak like the talking thesaurus, doesn't mean I am him."

"That's Master Thesaurus, Tango. Be respectful," Spyro said, nudging his son assertively. He stared off at his mate. "What kind of a young drake are we raising that disrespects Elders and has to be carried like a hatchling out of his own room?"

"We haven't had to use the hatchling hold for quite some time," Cynder spoke up. "And Tango was just teasing at Volteer. You that old dragon treats Tango the same way. I'm sure he meant no disrespect."

"Regardless, when he is in the presence of elders, he will address them properly," Spyro countered, looking down at his son. "Or do I need to discipline him?"

"Lay one claw on my baby and your going back into the shadows mister," Cynder said seriously. "I'll take care of it personally."

Spyro gulped fearfully "At least you got a free ride down to breakfast. I'd say you had it easy."

"I dare you to do that again," Tango muttered, tilting his neck closely followed by rhythmic cracks. "It won't be _easy_ the next time you try to do it."

"Please," Avala begged, almost in a shout. "Dad, I will do anything for you if you put him into a hatchling hold again."

Spyro chuckled at his daughter and looked down at his son, placing his paws on the flustered drake. "Well, I'd do anything for my daughter…," he said slowly, gently kneading Tango's shoulders.

"Yeah, but not for your son," Tango pouted. "Well, I'm already being embarrassed as it is. May as well get on with it. Anything for your daughter, right?"

"Someone's grouchy this morning," Avala said, picking up her bowl and taking a drink. "Probably needs to be put back to bed."

"I'll put you back to bed permanently if you don't shut your mouth," Tango threatened.

"Ooooh, so scary," Avala said, not fazed or intimidated. "I feel threatened."

"It wasn't a threat," Tango said. "It was a promise."

"Alright, you two," Cynder finally said, trying to stifle a laugh. "Leave Tango alone. You're turning my little electric dragon into a little _fire_ dragon."

Tango shrugged his father's paws off him and cast a slightly hateful glare at him and his sister. He moved over to his mother and wrapped his hands around her foreleg inhaling her sweet scent.

Cynder smiled and reached down to kiss him on the head and rubbed the back of his neck. "You sleep well?" He nodded, letting go of her. "Dad didn't rough you up too much, did he? Just say the word, and I'll beat him up for you."

Tango suppressed a smile but shook his head. "No, he didn't. But the hatchling hold was unnecessary. But you can kick his ass if you want."

"Well, I would do it for free if you weren't always challenging him," Cynder said normally. "You're a strong dragon, but you do not simply _take down the one that saved the world_."

"One day," Tango promised. "And did you really have to call me baby? Is that what I am to you?"

Cynder grinned and leaned down to his level. "No matter how old you or your sister are, you will always be my babies." She finished with a kiss on the snout.

"Maybe you should just wrap us up in your wings and keep us forever."

"Maybe," Cynder agreed teasingly, playfully jabbing a claw at his chest. "But you should focus on your studying and be graduating the academy first. The strength of your muscles should be as strong as your brain."

"And you're getting a lot closer buddy, trust me," Spyro interrupted. "You were this close to getting out from under my paws." He held two claws close together to just how close he was. "With more studying and more work in the gym, you _will_ become a formidable fighter. But it is all dependent on how much effort you want to put into it. Does that make sense?"

Tango nodded, swatting away one of his mother's claws.

"Good dragon," Spyro dipped his head and gestured to the table. "Come to get some breakfast. You must be starving."

"Still think he needs to be put into another hold," Avala grumbled.

"That's enough, Avala. Quit antagonizing him. The same speech goes for you," Cynder pressed, taking her spot next to her mate. "Don't think that you could just slide by just because of your Master Cyril's favorite student."

"Well, if she spent more time in her books then she does the nursery maybe she would be able to slide by," Tango teased.

Avala huffed as Tango took his seat right next to her, casting him a resentful look. "I'll have you know that working in the nursery is not a bad profession. One that I enjoy doing to say the least."

Tango gave her a goofy grin and playfully nudged her. "Lighten up sis. You're letting the shadows eat you alive. I think its cool that you work there. Nice air flow, bunch of rambunctious hatchlings to chase after, and you get to watch the eggs of nobles. How cool is that?"

Avala smiled and turned back to her breakfast. "Thanks, but not as interesting as working with the temple's armorer."

Tango scoffed. "Evigt is an acquired taste, but it's not the people I hate. It's the conditions. We're lucky if we get blessed with the occasional ice rune to keep us cool. I've lost countless amounts of scales to hot coals and metal, plus the air quality stinks."

"Yeah, the nursery sounds better," Avala said quickly. "So, did you dream of me while you slept?"

Tango scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself," he said, shoving a piece of chicken into his mouth. "Besides, it's a little weird to dream of your sister."

"Why?" She asked. "I dream of you guys all the time. Like last night, I imagined that we were out on a picnic. We swam in a nearby pond, which I decided to freeze over. You and I started wrestling for some odd reason I can't remember.

"Odd," Tango murmured. "Who won?"

She gave him a sly look. "Who do you think won?"

Tango chuckled. "Remind me what your look of defeat looks like again?" He took a moment to look her up and down, trying to see what kind of reaction he could fish out of her.

She was an ice blue scaled dragoness with an ocean blue chest and belly. Lithe and attractive muscles covered her body in all the right places. The places most drakes found attractive. Same colored wings with a pristine white membrane that almost appeared transparent. Three crystal-like horns pointed to the back of her head. The base of her horns are dark blue and gradually fade through the shades of blue all the way to white at the tips. Similar forehead markings like her mother, but in different colors of blue. Long, slender tail with a scythe-like blade. The most notable feature is her bright green eyes, and she had darker blue freckles under her eyes.

"I don't know you tell me," she shrugged. "And I didn't lose. I froze you to the ground and left you there. Pretty funny sight if you ask me. But I left my back turned and you attacked me."

"So who really won the fight?" Tango yearned for the answer.

Avala shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. I woke up before the dream finished. Guess you won't get to know if you bested your sister in combat."

"Har har," Tango said with mock levels of hurt. "But I think your face of defeat looks like this." He ducked his head low and scowled at her, his bottom lip protruding out, and his eyes squinted. His eyes filled with obviously fake levels of hurt. The yellow drake inhaled and exhaled loudly, trying to sound defeated.

Spyro and Cynder chuckled lightly at the two siblings. They did this almost every single morning, and it still managed to put a smile on their face each time they did. It made their hearts swell knowing that Avala treated Tango as though he had been in her life since he was born, even if it had only been ten years instead of the full seventeen.

"Mom? Dad?" Avala questioned. "Do I seriously look like that when I lose?"

"I think he's being generous, Avala," Spyro whispered to her. "He's not exaggerating it as much as you do."

She scowled at him, her body language and appearance like her brother's, who still mocked her with his interpretation of her looks of defeat. "Mom?"

"I think your brother has got you on this one sweetheart," Cynder answered.

"Damn, I love it when I'm right," Tango laughed, grabbing another piece of his breakfast and tossing it into his mouth. "What's the matter, sis? Brother got your tongue."

Avala growled at him but returned to her breakfast. A look of hurt portrayed in her eyes. Her perkiness faded to nothingness.

Tango held a look of triumph, but he paused when he saw the look of disapproval on his parent's faces. Sighing, he nodded, knowing the words that they were silently saying to him. "You put her down, bring her back up," his mother would always say to him. _We're both messing with each other, she gets hurt feelings, and I have to fix it. Just another morning in the Spyro home._

He shifted closer to his sister, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. She was shorter than him by a couple of inches. He playfully nudged her shoulder, and that's when he indeed saw the look of defeat in her eyes. She looked close to the verge of tears, her feelings beyond any reasonable doubt had been broken, but fixable. And he knew how to do it, and that was to get her to smile.

But she was stubborn just as much as she was beautiful.

Tango ducked his head to look up into her downcast eyes. "Avala," he called her name slowly. "Are you okay? I didn't mean it. I was only teasing you."

She continued to ignore him, grabbing a piece of her breakfast and taking small nibbles.

"Come on sis! You can't stay mad at me forever."

Another attempt rewarded with more ignorance.

He knew she wasn't going to give in to him that easily. The ice dragoness always did play hard to get. So, with as much love as he had for his sister, he rubbed his cheek against her shoulder and slowly nuzzled her under the chin. "Avala," he whispered. "Tango loves you." He swore he saw a smirk start to pull at her lips., but maybe he was going crazy.

He repeated the process and received the same silent response, this time he saw her muzzle twitch. Her pearly white teeth were visible for no more than a second. _Time to up the ante I guess_.

Tango intertwined his tail with hers, much to her slight resistance and grabbed one of her paws and interlocked fingers. He went through the motions of rubbing his cheek against her shoulder and nuzzled underneath her chin. He brushed against her cheek with his, smiling at her fondly. His love for his older sister was genuine. This time she finally looked at him, the sadness gone from her eyes.

"Stop you dope," she said, gently shoving him away. "You're making me uncomfortable."

"Oh, does your little brother give you the fuzzy wuzzy feelings?" Tango said softly and easy for her to understand. "Sorry I'm not that big, strong earth dragon you fantasize over."

"Not exactly little when you tower over me," she muttered, her cheeks flushed with red. "And I don't _fantasize_ over anyone."

"Well, different hatch days and the one-year gap between us says otherwise. And yes, you do, I've read your diary," Tango answered immediately, opening his arms to invite her into a hug. "Now hug your brother."

She smiled and laid her head across his shoulder. "I hate you sometimes."

"Tango loves you though, even when you're trying to sound convincing," he said again. "Say it, or I make that dream you had last night come true."

"Avala loves you too."

Tango held her tightly, seeing the look of approval in his mother's eyes. His father was too busy trying not to fall out of his seat with the laughter he did his best to keep under wraps. "What's so funny? A brother can't love his sister in front of his parents?"

Cynder jabbed an elbow into her snickering husband, which seemed to shut his muzzle. "No, in fact, I wish I saw more siblings act like you two. The most I've seen around the city practically despise each other."

"Yeah, I've seen the same thing," Spyro breathed, finally reining in his childish antics. "Wish they were like you guys too. And what's this I hear about a crush, Avala? Do I finally get to bury my daughter's first boyfriend in the backyard?"

"It's not a crush, dad!" She exclaimed. "It's a non-existent thing he is saying to get under my scales. And it's working. Besides, I don't need a boyfriend. Drakes my age only think about two things: food and sex." Tango smiled widely.

"We most certainly do not," Tango defended. "I got more important things to do than to go out and have some sexy time."

Spyro held up two paws defensively. "Alright, alright! Keep your heads screwed on. I'm only teasing you, Avala. Gotta spread it around a bit, especially since your brother gets the short end of that stick all the time."

"If I had a gold coin for every time dad beats me senseless with that stick, I'd be the richest dragon in the whole city, as well as the most crippled and humiliated," he said jokingly, picking up a saucer of juice to drink. "All the dragoness's would want to sleep with me then."

"That's my boy," Spyro beamed.

His mother scowled at him, but couldn't help but let a small smirk pull at the corner of her mouth.

"And I don't beat you senseless, and don't say things like that outside of this house or people will think we beat our children for fun," Spyro was quick to defend himself. "Even if humiliating you is one of my jobs as a parent."

"I think that's a bit of an understatement dad," Avala added, agreeing with her brother. "You are known around the academy like the one who pranks his children the most. Like when you froze Tango to the front doors of the academy and left him there all day."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. Tango was only up there for thirty minutes after a lovely fire dragoness felt sorry for him," Spyro watched white dissipate from his son's eye and grinned. "Need I remind you of the many times it was well deserved?"

Tango pondered over that thought with a bit of cynicism. "Nah! That will be unnecessary because if that were ever published in a book, not a single dragon would be able to carry it by themselves. And for your information, that fire dragoness you speak of didn't feel sorry for me. She slapped me in the face for causing such a scene that she just had to get involved."

"Another exaggeration," Avala teased, a smile on her face. "Should I have to slap you to nudge that memory free? Kyza, the fire dragoness…."

"I know her name," Tango interrupted, receiving a friendly punch in the chest from his sister. "Why do you always hit me?"

"Because it's fun," Avala laughed. "Anyway, she asked me to tell you to stop being such an idiot and making yourself look like a fool."

"Really? She told you that? Wow, you almost made that sound believable. But really what did she say to you?" Tango tilted his head, knowing he had called his sister's bluff. "Well, the newest entry into the book of exaggerations and lies from my older sister? Check. She wouldn't have had to do anything if you had of saved me from the evil clutches of our father."

"Don't call me a liar," Avala warned. "And where's the fun in saving you when I can just help dad embarrass you more?"

"What are you going to do? Beat me up? Turn me to ice?" He challenged. "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't tempt me." Avala countered. "You forget that we live under the same roof and that I flourish when it's cold. You really want to play with the power of ice?"

Cautiously, Tango scooted away from his sister not feeling like he wanted to play with the abilities of her element. He didn't mind earth, fire, or wind, but with the idea of the ice element, he dared not trifle with its power. Of course, he never flirted with anyone's ability. "You obviously won't because I got electricity on my side. In case you forgot, water is a conductor no matter what state it is in, including ice."

"Alright you two, cut it out," Cynder said, her tone of voice serious. "If you're done with your breakfast, then you two can get an early start walking to the academy."

"An early start? It takes ten minutes to walk to the academy and another five to get to my first class," Tango explained, looking at a clock on the wall. An intricate system of pulleys, cogs, and hourglasses filled with white fluorescent sand. When one hourglass shifted its sand completely, the next one started signaling the change of the hour.

"Another reason for you to quickly finish your breakfast and be on your way," Cynder reasoned. "The streets get congested at this time of the morning. And you know what happens when you're late for class."

"I'd be sitting in class for a half an hour regardless if I flew or not, I know the quickest routes to the academy, and I always go straight to class anyway. Have you ever sat in a classroom all by yourself for a half an hour? It's pretty boring."

"You can study? Read a book? The list goes on," Spyro explained. "Some of them a little more inappropriate than others, but you get the point."

"Do I dare ask what you did when you were in the academy, Dad?" Tango asked uncomfortably.

"Okay! This conversation topic is not very fitting for two young dragons," Cynder answered.

Avala looked at her parents, seeing the dirty looks they cast back and forth. It made her shudder just thinking about what her parents were silently passing between each other. "Okay, well I'd be in class waiting the same amount of time," Avala added. "Dad! Please don't make us leave now!"

Spyro cast a gaze at his mate, who eyed him dangerously. He chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Out of my jurisdiction, kiddo. Go on now, listen to your mother." The large drake moved away from her slowly only for her to ring him back in close. "After all these years you still know how to make me feel unpleasant."

"You'd be lost if I didn't make you feel that way every once and a while," Cynder toyed with him. "Even the mighty purple dragon needs to get the goosebumps sometimes."

"Yeah, but by the Terror of the Skies?" Spyro shuddered. "No thanks. Good day. Come back again later."

Tango and Avala chuckled at their parents. "So, does that mean we can stay a little bit longer."

"Nope," Cynder answered immediately. "Do what you have to do, but you'll be walking out the front door in five minutes or by the ancestors I am going to drag you into the shadows like I did you father. Tell them dear what that experience is like."

Spyro vigorously shook his head at them. "You don't want to go there. That's your mother's domain. She is pure evil in there. Now go before it becomes a reailty."

"Fine," the two siblings harmonized fearfully.

They both quickly cleared their plates and hugged their parents, being reminded that they had lessons with Master Volteer and Master Cyril immediately after school. Giving one last goodbye, they walked out onto the platform and glided down to the bottom floor.

"Alright, Ms. Popular," Tango said blankly once they made the touchdown. "We both know you hover around the front of the school hanging out with all your little friends until the five-minute bell rings."

"You could do the same thing, you know," Avala suggested.

"I don't have time for friends."

"But you have time to be crushing on Kyza?"

"I'm not crushing on Kyza," Tango said, pushing her away with his shoulder. Feeling like he hadn't done anything stupid yet today, he sent a concentrated bolt of electricity into his tail blade and quickly poked his sister in the rump with it. Not enough to hurt, but a little more than a tickle. "I'm always too busy finding ways to annoy you. Besides she is way out of my league."

Avala jumped in surprise and watched her brother slink off a few yards. Her mouth gaped at the stones on her brother. Never had he ever done something against her with his element. "You did not just do that," she said, stepping lightly towards him.

"Oh, but I did," Tango smiled. "No one gets to assume I'm crushing on someone and get away unscathed, or in your case, not electrocuted. Stings don't it?"

"I don't know," she said, opening her maw and shooting a series of small icicles at him. "You tell me."

Tango winced as the icicles struck him in the chest and knocked the wind out of his lungs. His front legs buckled, and he hit the floor, desperately trying to suck in air. "Not…. funny….. sis!"

Avala snickered as she pranced over to him. "I thought it was pretty funny besides you started it when you electrocuted my butt. You're lucky that chest of yours is thick or else you'd be dead on the floor. Kyza told me she liked that idea."

"I doubt it." The electric drake took to his paws and glared at his sister, picking up one of the icicles she shot at him. "One of these little things could kill someone? You must really think I'm dumb enough to believe that. Besides," he said, squeezing the icicle in a fist as it instantly turned to water. "It's not strong enough. Guess Cyril's prodigy needs to work on her element a little more."

Without a second thought, Avala pounced on her brother tackling him to the ground. She dug her claws into his back, uttering a growl that made hatchlings tremble. Tango rolled and kicked her away with his hind legs. Avala hit the ground and let her body roll herself back onto her feet. She launched herself at him with a roar, striking him in the neck. Tango dropped his weight into her and threw her onto her back. He planted a paw on her chest and held her there.

"Done yet?"

"Never!" she growled a hint of amusement in her voice.

She lashed her tail blade around, smashing into the side of his head. Tango let out a roar of pain as he rolled with her hits. Avala scrambled to her feet and jumped on his exposed belly. Again, Tango attempted to push her off with his hind legs but was finding he couldn't. Avala had pressed her hind legs into the pressure points of his legs. She grabbed the wrists of his paws and used all her strength to pin them to the floor. Tango was pinned! He looked up into his sister's green eyes, seeing the fiery rage engulf them.

"Still think Cyril's prodigy needs to work on her element?"

"Absolutely," he panted. "Because you forgot something. Two things actually."

Avala took in a deep breath, clearly winded. "What would that be?"

Tango laughed and leaned up until he was within a few inches from her face. "You forgot to pin my tail."

Before Avala could react, Tango wrapped his around her belly and lurched upwards with all the strength he could muster from a standstill. His momentum threw her backward off his legs giving him only a few seconds to roll over and kick her away. She landed on her side and rolled onto her back. He stumbled to keep his feet, his chest heaving from exertion. Avala still laid on her back, her own chest labored with exhausted breaths. He sauntered over to her despite being winded.

"You okay," he laughed. "You're not hurt, are you? Dad would bury my like your boyfriend if I hurt you?"

Avala took a moment to catch her breath before looking up at her brother. "Curse you…," she snarled through gritted teeth. "Only my pride is hurt. And I don't have a boyfriend."

"How do you think I feel?" Tango smiled. "I got pinned by my own sister."

"Can we loath in your defeat after you help me up?" Avala asked.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a defeat in my part," Tango said, helping her to her feet. "You did say your pride hurt. I'm still ready to go. Gotta impress your boyfriend today?"

"Still don't have a boyfriend in the ten seconds since you accused me of having one." Avala pretended to look hurt. "Oh, you don't like the idea of your sister besting you in a one-on-one fight. Is that what this is? Should we continue this before mom and dad show up?"

Tango looked over his shoulder towards the platform that led to the dining room. To his relief, his parents weren't standing there to chew their ears out. But he responded with a shrug. "We might get a chance right before we meet the masters. What do you say we spar while we wait for them? Temple Training ring after school?"

Avala nodded. "Works for me. Get ready to have your tail handed to you." She pranced over to the door and opened it but stopped to look back at him. "You coming? Or do I have to walk to school all by myself where all the big, mean dragons can flirt with me without my brother there to defend my honor?"

"Oh, I'll defend your honor alright," Tango said bounding over to the door nearly tripping on his own tail in the process. "No drake is going to be brave enough to flirt with you while I'm around because I'll just tell them you have a boyfriend."

The two siblings laughed together as they closed the door and proceeded on their merry way to school.

* * *

 **A/N: Not much for me to say. I enjoyed this chapter. I hope you guys are in love with the siblings that are Tango and Avala that I am. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you all in the next one.**

 **Atlas FF Out**


	3. Acceptance of Actions

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Acceptance of Actions**

* * *

For most of the trek to the academy, Tango and his sister had been walking in the shade of the many skyscrapers erected throughout the imposing city. The beautiful buildings seemed to stretch into the clouds and to whatever lay beyond what now resembled a woolen sky. The morning commotion breathed life into the sturdy unmoving structures, consisting of the many citizens of Warfang – dragons, cheetahs, moles, and other assorted species of a colorful variety – as the many doors dotting the sides of each building burst open like failing floodgates. The array of species poured into the main roads like a river streaming down a slope, some of the residents off shooting into narrower alleys, making the river branch out and expand all over the city.

The gentle breeze that had slowly grown upon them only appeared to worsen with each step the siblings took down the boulevard. They pressed their wings tightly to their sides to ward off the wind, but most of their bodies remained vulnerable to its beating. The wind began to blast him in the face, causing his eyes to water; Tango bit his lip irritated as he sought shelter off the street and into the cover of an alley with his sister close behind.

Regardless of how the wind was making him physically feel, there was something that lingered in Tango's mind since he set foot outside. He had been overly cautious when taking in his surroundings. The second nature of continually looking over his shoulder was a consistent reminder of where he came from even though he knew that the vile beasts of that forest couldn't hurt him anymore; at least, not in a direct manner.

But his past was the least of his concerns now.

Something about the mishap in the morning nestled persistently in his consciousness: the back and forth banter between his father, mother, sister, and himself was a regular family thing, but today felt like it was taken many steps too far. The anxiety chipped away at his sanity, breaking him.

His decision to step out of the cold pushed him to feel more obligated about talking with his sister more. He knew it in his heart that his behavior earlier and the poor way he treated his sister was unacceptable with his standards of treatment, especially towards the family. The drake's heart ached as his brain painted the memory of his sister looking downcast on an ideal canvas. His jokes and pranks were meant to make one laugh and innocently embarrass, but he never intended to bring someone in the opposite end, not to mention his own sister.

Avala followed him a couple of meters into the alley but stopped abruptly in her tracks when she noticed how distraught her brother was acting.

Tango didn't acknowledge that his esoteric conflict influenced his body language. The way he occasionally stumbled in his steps, swaying back and forth as if he was being pummeled by furious fists from both sides and how he hung his head low were all signs of his unyielding distress. The usually bright and gleeful drake looked broken, cheering him up was a job only a sibling could amend.

"Tango, stop!"

The electric drake's legs came to a slow and awkward halt as he let his hind legs drop his body onto his haunches. His wings relaxed abased to the ground, and his muzzle suspended mere inches from the cobblestone road.

Avala titled her head and approached him slowly, coming to a stop right next to him. "What's wrong?" she asked worryingly.

Tango shook his head. "Nothing is wrong, Avala." His mind was telling him not to challenge her gaze as he jerked his muzzle away from her. "I'm fine." His lips quivered as he spoke to her.

"You are a lot of things, but right now fine is not one of them." Her voice was gentle and soothing. "It may have taken me a couple of years to figure it out, but I know when something is going on with you."

"Avala, I'm fine," Tango insisted. "You don't have to worry about me all the time."

"Tell that to your drooping wings and slumped posture," Avala countered, gesturing to said features. "Besides, it's my job to worry about you all the time."

Tango took a deep breath. He knew that she wasn't going to budge from her spot until he gave her a plausible answer. There was no doubt that he had the perfect response sitting right on the tip of his tongue, but how he intended to bring it up was another mountain to climb itself.

"Tell me what's going on with you," Avala gently demanded. "Because I know that I can help."

"How could you possibly know what's going on?" Tango asked seriously. "You may be my sister, but you don't have any idea what's going on in my head."

"You're right, I don't," she answered sharply. "But I think I can make an educated guess. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it has something to do with how breakfast went?"

The yellow drake sighed in defeat, it wasn't that hard of a guess for her; keen observation was another ability of his light blue scaled sibling's repertoire. How she managed to be lucky or mathematically precise with her assumptions was a mystery to him, but he still found it to be rather annoying whenever he just wanted to keep his problems to himself.

"I guess it kind of does have something to do with how breakfast went," Tango finally admitted. "I think I wish I could start the day over and try again. How I approached it all just isn't sitting with me right. I don't know…. I feel like I ruined the whole morning for everyone."

"How so?" Avala asked gingerly, shifting closer to his brother, taking an interest in his words. "What makes you want to say something like that?"

"It's just this overwhelming level of guilt that's dangling over my head by a piece of twine," Tango answered quietly. "It keeps telling me that I ruined this entire morning for everyone just because I acted like a punk. My behavior was out of line and inappropriate. If I don't make amends all this guilt will come crashing down on me."

"So that's what's eating you," Avala quickly mumbled to herself.

Tango glanced over at her with shocked eyes. "You knew there was something wrong when we left, didn't you?"

"I'm a lot more observant than you believe, Tango," Avala smiled. "I could tell there was something wrong when we were sitting at the breakfast table. Even when you were smiling and laughing, I could see through the façade you were putting out. Not that hard to notice when someone is feeling guilty."

The lightning dragon exhaled deeply, allowing his head to slump in sadness. "I am guilty of a lot of things. This whole morning would have gone way smoother had I just kept my muzzle shut. Certain things that I regret wouldn't have occurred and I now have to live with those poor choices."

"Like what?"

"Challenging dad when he was waking me up because I had overslept," Tango began. "He was looking out for me like all fathers should, and I made the morally questionable decision to try and argue with him. Bit off more than I could chew, one thing led to another, and the next thing I know I am being carried downstairs in the most pathetic way possible for a young dragon my age."

"That was just dad being a dad," Avala reassured, bumping her shoulder into him. "He likes to goof around and mess with the two of us. It's either he who wakes us up or mom does it. Now we both know that we'd rather have him do that than mom, right?"

The mere thought of his mother waking him up sent chills up and down his spine, making his whole body momentarily shake vigorously. He loved his mother to death, but she had a knack for making his sister or him feel extremely uncomfortable when it came to be being woken up. There were some mornings where he'd find himself face-to-face with her staring intently into his eyes, which put the fear of the Ancestors into him by her sudden appearance. Never again did he allow himself to be woken up by his mother.

"Maybe," Tango replied to her. "Even if I tried to call him out on his bluff, he didn't have to humiliate me like that."

"Look," Avala said, forcing herself into his peripheral vision. "I get that he put you into the dreaded hatchling hold, but piggybacking on what you said, you challenged him and lost. You brought the embarrassment upon yourself. Unfortunately, I can speak from my own experiences, many of which you've gotten the pleasure of witnessing. It is very demeaning and unnecessary, but at least you know better than to make that same mistake again."

"You say that like it isn't a bad thing," Tango scoffed. "It's like you don't even care that your little brother gets picked on. Does it even matter to you that it might be more than just an embarrassment for me?"

"It does matter to me though," Avala reassured softly. "I'll admit that I can take it over the edge a bit when messing with you, but that's just what siblings do. We toy with each other's feelings without acknowledging the consequences."

"Yeah, I think I noticed that one really quick," Tango droned. "The morning only seemed to get progressively worse the deeper I went, and I just felt like I was drowning myself further each time I opened my mouth."

Avala shifted closer to him, brushing her shoulder against his side as she draped a wing across his back. "Tango, you know that we don't mean the hurtful things we say to each other, right? It's one of the many unspoken rules between siblings. Right next to the one where it says we shall never turn our back on each other unless we're playing hide-and-seek."

Tango couldn't help but let himself chuckle lightly at that, appreciating the good sense of humor that had been bestowed upon his sister. But it quickly ceased as the guilt took back control of his head, feeding him with more impure thoughts.

"But if we're allowed to do that to each other, why do I have this huge amount of regret weighing down on me?" Tango whispered, his eyes downcast. "Why is it that I can't get the image of you looking sad when I openly mocked you in front of mom and dad?"

Avala sighed as she pressed her forehead into his neck, gently stroking the black spines on his neck with her paw. "Don't beat yourself up over it. We were all goofing around at breakfast, poking fun at each other's nerves. You just took it a little too far, and it hurt my feelings, but… you made didn't hesitate to make me happy again, even if your methods were a little discomforting."

Tango chuckled. "Yeah, I guess intertwining tails with your sister is a little weird. But it made you smile, so that's all that matters. By the Ancestors, I am a bit of a bully, aren't I?"

"Don't intentionally stoop yourself down to that level of pettiness. I hate it when you talk negatively about yourself. Makes me wish I could have done something to prevent you from saying things like that," Avala scolded lightly, moving to sit down in front of him. "Tango, you are many things, but a bully is definitely not one of them."

"Then what am I?"

The ice dragoness pressed a paw to his chest and looked up into his eyes. "You're my little brother. My egg-headed, loving, and charismatic little brother. Someone that I love unconditionally, an individual that I can always rely on, and the one I trust most with my secrets. I take great pride and joy being your big sister, regardless of where you come from."

Tango shifted his gaze away from her, genuinely moved by her kind, thoughtful words. He knew that she did care about him and didn't need her to remind him of it. He shared a special bond with her like no one else, bringing him great happiness to see her laugh and smile. To think he broke her down like a stone wall made him feel even more guilty. He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to think of her defeated face with broken eyes and a quivering lip.

"I still feel guilty," he admitted quietly. "A sibling should mess with his siblings, but never break them down to nothing. I did exactly that, and I feel the repercussions creeping up on me."

"Please don't feel that way," Avala begged. "You made your amends, and you apologized to for your actions. You're just allowing yourself to be a doormat: letting these issues walk all over you. I think what you need to do is take a little bit of self-compassion and apologize to yourself. You are not your actions, but you are responsible for them."

The lightning drake nodded, still avoiding her gaze. "You know… somedays I wonder what I did to deserve a sister like you, but then I remember that I don't deserve a sibling like you. You're too good for me if I am sincere. Makes me sometimes wonder why… why mom and dad didn't just keep flying instead of finding me like they did."

Avala took a few steps back, her confused gaze staring at him with a building fury. Now he had indeed struck a nerve and was about to feel real guilt because of his poor choice of words.

"Don't talk about something like that, Tango," Avala warned. "In fact, you don't get to say things like that. Everything good that has happened to you in your life until this point on has been more than deserved."

"Avala… I didn't mean…"

"What?! You didn't mean what?!" Avala spat, revealing her fangs at him. "Whatever excuse you possibly mustered in five seconds is not enough to save you. Because you've really made me angry now."

Tango gulped fearfully, cowering backward with his tail tucked between his legs until he bumped into a wall. He watched as his infuriated sister advanced on him, her eyes filled with malice. The fearful, yellow drake shut his eyes tightly and bowed his head in submission, knowing that he was trapped.

"I can't believe you would even think of saying something that vile, let alone actually saying it. Imagine how mom and dad would feel if they heard you talk like this. They'd be shattered into a million pieces hearing their child speak of something so atrocious. They don't deserve it, and I especially don't deserve it. And after everything they've done for you, you think you can just throw it away like garbage?"

The yellow dragon opened his mouth to respond but was abruptly cut off before words could be said.

"You're despicable," Avala whispered accusingly. "Your life being a constant challenge doesn't entitle you to say appalling things like that. As much as you want to believe that you might not have a place in this family, you're wrong. Had they not found you, where would you be right now? Probably dead! That's where!"

Tango's lip quivered, his senses finally coming back to him. The immediate regret and true self-reproach finally reared its ugly face at him, taking full control of his emotions as tears built in the corners of his eyes. Taking a labored breath, he let the torrent of tears loose, spilling onto his cheeks in rapid succession.

"I'm sorry!" Tango sobbed loudly.

Avala faltered slightly, seeing that her sudden aggression had been intimidating enough to break him down into a crying mess. It was never her intention to make him cry but to discourage him from spouting such nonsense. It was a wretched tactic that she had hoped she would never have to use, but this was one circumstance where it was applicable. Now she could see that it had worked effectively at the cost of her sibling's emotions, an unfair trade in her eyes.

"I'm sorry too," Avala whispered. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"I deserved it," Tango said, wiping his face clean of tears. His teal-blue eyes were red and puffy, and his overall composure seemed distressed with the sentiment. "But if it makes you feel better, I didn't mean to say those things. Mom and Dad sacrificed so much for me, and I still failed to realize that. I don't know how I can possibly live with myself after saying that. I really don't deserve them or you if that's how I am going to act."

"No! You're just upset. We tend to say whatever comes to mind when we're upset," Avala insisted. "Listen, I know your life has been challenging. You grew up in a dangerous place all by yourself for over seven years. But there is one important part of your life that you keep forgetting?"

"What am I forgetting?"

"You were blessed by the Ancestors with the best gift that they could possibly offer. A chance to start the life for your early years in life that you'd been robbed of. A chance to grow up under the watchful, loving gaze of, undeniably, the greatest family in the whole wide world. They took you into their home and raised you as though they laid your egg themselves. We gave you the family that you had been missing desperately. "

Tango took a series of deep, controlled breaths. He didn't know the best way to respond to her words, let alone accept her loving gaze, opting to shift his own eyes away from her. He wanted to cry badly, his emotions were racing faster than his brain could keep track of them. But the young, yellow dragon did his best to remain strong.

Avala must have sensed his freshly brewing sadness, padding up to him, and taking him into a tight hug. He flinched slightly at her touch, but almost instantly exhaled contently as she pressed her cheek against his own. Her brother relaxed in her arms, sniffing his stuffy nose, and sighing heavily with relief.

"I know that there are some days where that might seem like a perfect fairy tale, but it's all true," Avala explained. "Mom and Dad would pull the world back together a thousand times over to make you and me happy, and they'll always be there for you when you need them. It doesn't matter how mad they'll get or how many jokes that they can crack because, at the end of the day, they will always be our forever loving parents. But it wasn't easy for them to become your parents, you know."

"What do you mean?"

Avala sighed, recollecting a memory better off left forgotten. "Remember when Mom and Dad first brought you home?" Tango nodded. "Well, your adoption went a lot rougher than you might presume."

"How so? It seemed rather smooth to me. Sure, it took over a month to finalize, but I found the time to be peaceful," Tango shrugged, unsure as to what his kin was getting at. "Yet, I see a different story in your eyes; and it doesn't seem pleasant."

"It's not," Avala sighed. "You know mom and dad's history, right? With the Dark Master, the Terror of the Skies, and the Eternal Night? Basically, all of history as far back as forty-something years ago and then some?"

"Hard not to when your parents practically are a living piece of history," Tango answered calmly. "Of course, that's the history that dad to create his stories. Helped me sleep when I was smaller too."

"It was that piece of history that the orphanage used to build a case against you!"

"Me?"

"Yes, they believed that due to their violent past, despite the sacrifices that they made, it wasn't right for our parents to raise a second child," Avala explained. "They knew for a fact that they couldn't attempt trying to take me away because I was of their own flesh and blood. But for you on the other paw, that is the exact opposite."

The electric dragon was mortified at the news. He always thought that it was sunshine and rainbows, but now he knew that his whole adoption process was nearly botched because of his parent's past. Not a word that jumbled in his mouth could slip out of his lips.

"It hit mom the hardest because she shared the deepest bond with you," Avala continued. "But she wasn't going to go down without a fight, knowing that she could plead her case and make us your new family. She wanted to be your mother more than anything in the world."

"I was playing with my toys in the front foyer when the orphanage officials came to try and forcefully take you from her: the biggest mistake they could have possibly made," Avala pressed. "No matter what evidence they provided or warning they gave, mom would persistently refuse to hand you over. And it worked."

"How so?"

"After the officials left with the promise of returning, our parents sought out the advice of the Guardians, pleading for their guidance and wisdom," Avala answered, her voice dramatic and near hysterical. "And after a day of them being away from home, mom and dad won their case against the orphanage. All because no one would step foot between a mother and her child."

Tango drooped his head once more as he realized his previous comments were more foolish than he had thought they were. It was stupid of him to believe that he might have been better off living in the wild rather than in the comforting warmth of his family's home. Just the slightest thought made him feel arrogant and selfish.

"Promise me you won't say things like that anymore."

"I promise," Tango whispered, avoiding her loving gaze. "I'm sorry I was a self-centered jerk. I wasn't considering anyone else when I said those awful things. I really appreciate you setting me straight, couldn't have handled it better than you did."

"Tango, will you please look at me?" Avala asked. "You've been avoiding my eyes this whole time, and I pretty much forgot what your pretty blue eyes look like."

"Even after all these years, you still can't get enough of my eyes," Tango said, his mouth parting to reveal the start of a smile. "It reminds me of when I was little, and every time you wanted to look at them, you'd chase after me and tackle me just to catch a glimpse."

Avala scoffed. "Now that is an exaggeration if I've ever heard one in my life because I distinctly remember you following me around making goofy, childish noises and faces just to pester me. You were practically begging me to chase you everywhere. You were a sweet little thing, but by the Ancestors, you were trouble for me."

"Just because I followed my big sister around and liked to tease her a bit doesn't make me a troublesome little brother," Tango defended. "Need I remind you of the time you dangled me over the second-floor landing pad?"

"Only because you took something that didn't belong to you, which you snatched from my room of all places," Avala said simply. "But on the other paw, you learned a precious lesson in why it is dangerous to steal from a sibling, especially an older sister."

"I don't think to threaten your younger sibling's life because he took something is really a lesson," Tango remarked jokingly. "Besides, I gave it back to you, yet you still held me over the edge. I could have been seriously injured, then you would have really done it."

"Don't guilt trip me," Avala warned. "Because regardless, you haven't done anything that stupid since then."

Tango leaned towards her, his mere muzzle inches from hers, and his bright eyes locked with her emerald gems. "If it makes you feel any better, you don't even know half of the things that I've done."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The yellow drake chuckled as he pulled his head away. "I've said way too much already. Can't reveal all of my secrets, now can I?"

"Sure, you can," Avala whispered darkly, inching herself closer to him. "You just need a little persuasion."

Tango held up a paw to block her but grunted as he was shoved into the stone wall, her legs pinning him in place. His back creaked with discomfort, and his scales dug into the stone face. He noticed the playful glare in her eye and decided to play along, knowing that he could overpower her with ease.

"You're annoying, you know that?" Tango said.

"I know, but you wouldn't appreciate me if I wasn't a little pest every once and a while," Avala remarked. "Besides, if anything, my level of annoyance is nowhere near your level of annoyance. It's literally one of the things that makes you insufferable on some days."

"And the sky is purple, and the grass is orange!" Tango chortled sarcastically. "Really, Avala, you must be talking about someone else. How can this sweet and kind lightning drake become an insufferable one? Honestly, the mere idea of that just sounds absurd, Also, can you let me go, my back is becoming one with the rocks and minerals in this damned wall."

"Yeah," Avala apologized with wide eyes, letting go of her vice grip on her brother. "But you are definitely intolerable on some days. In fact, you remind me of a particular hatchling that I have the pleasure of caring for in the nursery; she almost looks like you too."

Tango was rolling his shoulders and stretching his spine as she spoke, taking minimal interest in what she was saying. "We do tend to look very similar, but what are you getting at? Thinking I'm doing my duty as a young drake and adding to the population?"

"If mom heard you talking like that, she'd cuff you over the head," Avala laughed, though her expression was shocked. "After she's done disciplining you, she'll beat up on dad for being a childish father. And after all of that, she might just yell at me because… equality, I guess."

"Equality," Tango mumbled under his breath, admiring his sister's storytelling skills. "Mom would never yell at you directly. She'd yell at dad or me to come and yell at you instead. Trust me, it sounds ridiculous, but I've experienced this firsthand. Therefore, I know what I am talking about. So, don't argue with me, just accept it. Lastly, I'm not even mature enough to be mating with females and spreading my influence like a religion."

"Yeah, you're not wrong," Avala shrugged, her mouth spread in a toothy grin. "You still have a couple of years, so the city has some time to enjoy itself until the infestation begins and chaos ensues. Still, it's not uncommon for drakes and dragonesses to become fertile at a much younger age. For all I know, this hatchling could be yours."

"Welp! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm not one of those dragons. Therefore, the little dragoness is not mine. Could you imagine me, an emotionally unstable dragon, having a clutch at this point in my life? Because I can, and all I can see is broken promises and many years of withering scales."

"I think that comes with the territory, but you proved your point," Avala sighed happily. "Anyway, I think we've extended our stay in this alley a little longer than we needed to. If we stick around any longer someone is bound to get suspicious and assume, we're up to no good; plus, we might be late for classes."

"Very well," Tango breathed, walking towards the exit of the alley as he spoke. "But let's keep talking. I am enjoying this conversation a little more than I probably should be, but it is with you so what harm can it really do, eh?"

"Lots of harm depending on the topic," Avala added, following closely behind her brother.

The waking crowds had subsided to optimal levels as the pair walked out onto the street. They walked side-by-side, their bodies inches from touching as they padded down the middle of the road. Their conversation continued as though it had never been finished, a picture-perfect smile plastered on both of their muzzles. All sad feelings dusted from both minds and replaced with thoughts of pure joy.

"Tell me about this hatchling?" Tango asked. "What makes her something special compared to any other hatchling?"

"Was that supposed to sound condescending or did you just word it that way?"

"Worded it that way. My bad."

"Don't worry about it." Avala bumped his shoulder, which he kindly returned. "She is the same as all the others, but she's unique in my eyes because whenever I see her, I see you. Smart, kind, and very loving. By the Ancestors, if I could describe just how sweet this little girl is, I would. But those words can't be found in any dictionary."

"She does sound like something, but I can tell there is more to her than just common baby characteristics," Tango smiled.

"She's very fond of you," Avala answered immediately.

"Fond of me?"

Avala nodded, raising her eye ridges seriously. "She asked me a long time ago if I had any brothers or sisters, and instead of answering her questions, I introduced her to you."

Tango raised an eye ridge confusedly, hoping he had misheard her. "I beg your pardon. You said that you introduced her to me? But…," he scoffed. "I haven't been within a hundred feet of a hatchling in a while. And definitely not a lightning dragoness."

"I didn't introduce her directly to you, I showed her a picture of you, specifically, a portrait that the nursery commissioned of you many years ago," Avala explained. "Remember it?"

"You mean the painting where I was forced to smile for hours on end?" He asked. "Of course, all the paintings of me at the house were forced smiles."

"No, you dunce," Avala smirked. "I mean… the candid panting of you sitting under a tree looking out at the distant horizons. Remember that one? It had the two adult dragons made of clouds looking down on you?"

Tango thought hard and could barely dredge up a brief flash of the picture in his head. "Barely, but it does ring a bell. What about it?"

"Well, that little dragoness – the little stinker – will stare at that photo every single morning when she wakes up and every single evening before she goes to sleep," Avala explained. "She practically idols you now! It's almost creepy."

"Huh," Tango said, chewing on his tongue. "Does my little fan have a name?"

"Oh yes, of course," Avala said. "The name on her birth certificate is Tesyla, but around the nursery, we call her Tess. We found that she is a lot more responsive to being called Tess. Her parents started calling her that whenever they come to visit as well. It's made its mark for sure."

"Tess is a cute name!"

"Cute babies deserve fitting names… don't know about you, but we don't have to talk about that," Avala teased.

"I named myself, thank you very much!"

"I'm kidding for Ancestor's sake." Avala threw paws up defensively nearly whacking Tango as she did. "Lighten up little brother, you're turning as red as a hotheaded fire drake."

Tango grumbled. "You know… that makes me remember something from this morning. Why is that you think I have the hots for Kyza of all dragonesses? In fact, when did that ludicrous belief become a thing?"

"Probably when she rescued you off the side of the Academy after you tried to escape from dad without saying you loved him after he so kindly walked with us to school," Avala recalled, paying no heed. "And I know you do like her. Why? Because a single, gorgeous dragoness like her is bound to have admirers."

Tango leaned over as he kept walking. "Can't be an admirer if you aren't admiring something in the first place."

"You're a terrible liar," She whispered back. "You know the entire academy knows you have a thing for her, yet she knows nothing about it," Avala said. "I heard some rumors going around that there is a bet amongst the Guardians on who will ask who out on a date first."

"Who is in favor of who?" Tango mumbled, not wanting to know the answer.

"Don't know, it's only a rumor after all," Avala answered, her voice pure and true. "But if it were true, I'd say you're the safest bet, but Kyza is ambitious and unexpecting. So, in all honesty, we may never know."

Tango nodded in understanding. "If she thinks I'm a blithering idiot who does nothing but attract attention towards himself, there is not a chance in hell she'll consider asking me out on a date. And I'm too big of a coward to take a step in her general direction without getting butterflies in my stomach."

"Aha!" Avala exclaimed. "So, there is a love interest! I knew it!"

"I didn't….," Tango groaned, realizing he admitted the truth to Avala. "I swear by the ancestors if you tell her or anyone anything, especially dad, I'll fillet you like a fish and sell you in the market." His cheeks began turning hot red with mortification, hopefully hiding the truth.

"Okay, but that doesn't mean I won't try and get you two to talk to each other," Avala said jokingly, not fazed by her brother's weak threats. "But I'll keep your secret… for now. But tell me, when you stare at her do you get the fuzzy feelings."

"And would you look at that, we have arrived at the academy safely and soundly and with minutes to spare," Tango said, simultaneously staring at the sun and walking away from Avala, only for her to snatch his tail in her paw. "Oh, come one! Leave me be! You've embarrassed me enough!"

"Don't want the embarrassment! Don't walk away from me!"

"I have classes to get to, and here you are impeding on that," Tango said, pulling his tail free. "What do you want from me?"

"What do you say to your sister when you're about to leave?"

Tango groaned annoyingly, watching all the passing students snicker at his sibling troubles. He shot them a pleading cry for help but got none.

"Well?"

The lightning drake sighed. "Thanks for being there for me this morning. I know I said a lot of stupid things, but just know that I didn't mean them. I love you, Avala. Don't ever let me forget that, no matter what I do."

Avala smiled approvingly as she pressed her cheek against his face, holding a paw against his head as she did. They shared a moment of silence, thanking the ancestors for bringing them together and making their lives perfect. They sighed when they separated, these moments they shared helped them both in many aspects. But Tango always knew how to brighten the mood should these moments feel dreary.

"Quick! Before anyone sees us together, we should split apart and go our separate ways. Wouldn't want the entire school knowing we're the only siblings that like each other, right?"

Avala chuckled and mischievously shoved him. "I could care less what the school thinks. If I want to associate myself with my brother, then I will do so without any regrets. Siblings have to stick together and watch each other's backs."

"Aw, Avala," Tango cooed, nuzzling her affectionately. "You're so sweet!"

"Stop it you big lug, you're making this weird," Avala giggled, pushing him away.

"You said it not me," Tango defended bumping her shoulder. "Anyway, I'm off to class. Care to catch up at lunch."

Avala huffed sadly. "No, I can't unfortunately. I said I would stop by the nursery to check on a couple of newborns that hatched a few days ago. They need a couple of new paws since we're short staffed. You can tag along if you'd like. Gives you a chance to meet Tess and see how cool my job is. Who knows? Maybe the armorer will be losing his apprentice to the nurses?"

Tango shrugged, thinking that wasn't a bad idea. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, but I need to drop by the armory and forge to sort out a series of shipments that I've been putting off for a long time. Evigt picked me up and threw me at them to get me to get it done last time I was there. I feel he's going to strangle me next chance he gets if I don't get it done soon."

"Fair enough, just don't die," Avala sighed. "Maybe some other time then. Tess doesn't officially go home for another two months. I'll get you in there another time."

"Sounds like a plan," Tango replied, opening his arms to embrace her which she accepted. "And don't worry about me, Evigt is scary looking, but he's a good person. Just make sure you get to the training ring immediately after class. I got to beat up my sister before the private lessons."

"In your dreams, Sparky," Avala teased, breaking away from the hug and turning away to stride towards the opened doors of the school, calling over her shoulder, "We both know I can take you in a one-on-one fight."

"Just because I struggle a bit with my element does not put you at an advantage. I only need strength to beat you," Tango called after her. He began to amble up to the entrance of the Academy, stopping after a few steps to stare in awe at the marvel that was the Dragon Academy.

The extravagant building stood tall and mighty above the city of Warfang, its spires shooting high into the sky – red flags atop each point – with the elegance of smooth white stone. Multiple banners of the many different dragon elements and sub-elements hung from the primary structure. A beautiful fountain invited the incoming students into the great hall where students and teachers gathered before classes started for the day.

Tango strolled by the marble fountain, the crystal-clear water cold to the touch with glass stones tossed in for good luck and fortune. Wooden benches circled the basin with high shoulder hedges in-between each seat. He partially lied to his parents when he said he went straight to class once arriving at the school. If he had the time to spare, he hung out in the front entrance courtyard on the benches, where he took a quick seat.

He paid zero attention to the greetings or looks from passing students, even the flirtatious looks of the occasional passing dragoness. He realized that they only gave him those looks so that they could bed with him; some of the dragonesses at the school had over-sexualized tendencies to get what they want by sleeping with wealthy nobles. Tango knew better than to beat an overly beaten dead horse, so he politely ignored them.

But he liked to believe that they genuinely had an interest in him, even if his eyes were pointed at only one. He watched them leave out of the corner of his eyes. "At least they aren't persistent," he mumbled gladly to himself as he continued to stare at the fountain with interest.

He let his mind drift, and he thought about how his morning had gone so far. His father was waking him up from a peaceful sleep to being dragged out of his bed in a hatchling hold to bickering with the family to wrestling in the foyer of the house to crying in his sister's shoulder feeling regretful. Not the morning he had hoped to start his day, but the one that was drawn for him by the heavens above maybe even the hell below.

But he let his mind think mostly about his sister. At one moment in time, Tango believed that he would never live to have someone so special in his life. He had been by her side for the last ten years and through ever thick and think, they never parted once. Any falling outs they did have were forgiven indefinitely before they shut their eyes to go to sleep. Never did believe that he could love someone so much.

Without her, Tango would be lost to the world.

"I love my sister," Tango whispered inaudibly.

A loud bell rang throughout the front courtyard roughly ten minutes later, signaling the five minutes for students to make a break for class. A late student called for lousy conduct marks, not something to have on your student file and not something easily removed.

Tango sighed with distaste, knowing the classroom was silently calling his name.

"Time to take the rest of the day with a grain of salt at a time," mumbled as he made his way into the Academy.


	4. Conflicts from Higher

**Act 1 : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Conflicts from Higher**

* * *

The unusual, eerie silence filled Tango's body with uncertainty, and small levels of fear began to rise deep in his gut. He prayed that he wasn't late to the class, hoping to maintain his ethical conduct, but he didn't want to make an ass of himself trying to get into the classroom either.

Tango quickened his pace as he rounded the last corner towards the class. The entrance lay mere meters in front of him. He watched a handful of students – a mix of different elemental types – start crowding the doorway. They too knew they had very little time, maybe even seconds, before the official bell would ring, signaling the beginning of the first class. But the speed at which they moved irked the electricity drake into annoyance.

His mind was telling him to yell at them to get a move on, but he knew better than to cause a scene over something petty and insignificant. To do as such would get him into scolding hot water with the teacher, which he had the displeasure of experiencing in his first few years of schooling. But he had figured it out over the years that if he didn't do anything spontaneously negative, he could breeze through the school day without any hassle whatsoever.

But just because he did everything right didn't mean that he occasionally lost. It was just a simple fact of life that young Tango had to figure out on his own from the very get-go.

With both of his parents being teachers as well as members on the High Council within the Academy, he knew that if they ever had to get involved while he was at school, his life expectancy would drop by a few years for what followed later on in the day. Tango knew from experience that having to look his parents in the eye after causing any incident – no matter the size or degree – was embarrassing enough, especially the earful of scolding that shadowed when he returned home.

So, the thought of that in mind, he waited anxiously for the doorway to clear before entering the class. The bell sounded heartbeats after he stepped through the door. But with no excuse for not being in his chair, he quickly ushered towards his desk towards the far side of the classroom.

Little did he realize his teacher, Professor Aurian, was casting an impatient glare in his direction, his foot tapping loudly on the stage which he stood upon. The short-tempered, but a wise teacher was both liked and disliked by his students, yet his teaching methods were some of the best in the entirety of the Academy.

He cleared his throat and broadcast his deep voice throughout the vast space, causing some students to stumble as they rushed themselves to their desks. A callout from Professor Aurian was never on anyone's list.

"Quickly now," he beckoned. "The fact that you aren't already in your seats is testing my patience. Tango? A word if I may."

Tango froze in his tracks and sighed heavily, a few students snickering at his unease. He veered away from his desk and approached the stage and gulped at the sight of his teacher's eyes piercing daggers into his scales. "Yes, Professor Aurian. Did I do something wrong?"

"Besides not being in your chair, no not yet, but given your history and childish nature, I'd expect something to occur very soon," he said, his voice filled with distaste. "Anyway, I take it you completed yesterday's assignment as I had instructed."

"O-Of course," Tango replied immediately. His teacher's angry words stung, despite there being some truth to them. "I completed it a few hours after I got home. The topic proved…. rather challenging given my inexperience, but a quick study through the textbooks helped significantly."

"Challenging? Did you consider the history of Warfang a challenging topic? Basic. Simple. History," Aurian said in utter disbelief. "History that every dragon in the city from the oldest elders to the smallest hatchling know. But you, a wild dragon from the woods can't comprehend common knowledge."

"Just simply stating it as it is. Had a tough time understanding the material, found a solution to the problem, and implemented it. I understand the material better now," Tango responded softly, slightly irritated by the wild dragon comment.

"Overly confident today, aren't we?" The massive wind dragon asked sourly.

"Not over-confidence," Tango replied, shaking his head. "It's just my reasoning."

"Very well, if you are insistent on having a better understanding, you wouldn't mind showing me your assignment then, would you?"

"I wouldn't mind at all," Tango said softly, reaching to his shoulder, only to feel his scales beneath the pads of his feet. He screwed his lips and eyes and inhaled deeply, realizing his newfound dilemma. The yellow had left his handbag at home. Now he understood the reason behind his teacher calling him out before he took his seat.

 _Mom is going to kill me when she finds out!_ He said to himself, not even wanting to think of the scolding he would receive.

"I must apologize, but I seem to have left my handbag at home by accident. You see I…" Tango looked up as he spoke before trailing off as he caught sight of Professor Aurian holding a dark leather satchel by strap only inches from his face. He peered down at Tango with malevolent glee.

"My satchel!" He reached out with a paw to grab it, but it was out of his reach.

"Care to explain to me why you left your work at home…...again?" Aurian spat, causing a gasp out of his other students, who silenced their noise with a glare.

Tango sighed, not sure what his excuse was despite it being obvious, yet oblivious at the same time. "I, I'm not sure I have one to share. It must have slipped my mind as I was leaving home this morning."

"Slipped your mind," Aurian responded disgustedly. "I shouldn't have expected very much from a little wild animal like yourself."

"I think that is a little unfair, professor," Tango added.

"I'm not paid to teach fairness, Sparky," Aurian growled. "I'm paid to teach the history of the city and the world. If you want to be treated fairly, you can ask a counselor. Otherwise, if you are uncomfortable with being in my class, I'd suggest you transfer out. I am not going to babysit you for being incapable."

"But isn't that your job," Tango said bluntly, putting his foot down. "Aren't teachers supposed to be fair to each of their students, regardless of where they come from. Or did that part just slip your mind." A couple of nearby students froze at the audacity of Tango's words.

"You will watch your tongue when speaking to me," Aurian snapped. "I assumed the _adopted_ child of the Legendary Purple Dragon and the former Terror of the Skies would have better manners. But it seems they allow their honorable home to be tainted with the waste of scales they call a son."

"You've no right to bring my parents into this," Tango spat. "They've done more for me than you ever will. To think you actually call yourself a teacher."

"You dare question my position when you, a wild dragon, have no place in a society of civilized people."

His teacher's unpleasant words mortified Tango. Never had he brought Tango's family into the mix and never did his recent past. His patience and respect for his teacher were beginning to grow paper thin. He dug his claws deep into the wooden floors, his blank gaze holding back a brewing, fiery rage. He opened his muzzle to speak, but Aurian cut him off before he could get a word out.

"As much as I'd like to stand here and argue with you, you've already wasted enough of my value class time. We will carry on with this discussion on another occasion. But, mark my words it will not end in your favor. You can thank your mother for saving your tail this time," Aurian growled softly, dropping the satchel at Tango's feet. "Don't expect me to be so kind in the future. Now take your seat before I change my mind."

Tango nodded with false sincerity to Aurian before retrieving his satchel and moving to his seat located on the far side of the room about eight rows away from the stage. He made a note to let his parents know about Aurian's disrespect towards him and his family. _He won't get away with it that easily._

"Unless he tells them something completely opposite when they see each other next," Tango mumbled to himself, his voice no louder than the squeak of a mouse. "No. He may be rude, but he is no liar."

Tango noticed the many looks of concern on the faces of his fellow peers as he passed them to his seat. It warmed his heart to know that they understood his frustrations, many of them having experienced the spiteful words from the wind dragon themselves, but it didn't matter to him all the same. Whether he liked it or not, Professor Aurian would never see him for all the good that he was on the inside.

"I'm not the wild, uncivilized animal he makes me out to be," Tango mumbled to himself, his eyes downcast as he pulled out his completed assignments. Something in his mind was telling him to tear the parchments to shreds, but he knew that it wouldn't look good in the eyes of everyone else.

 _Can't let my emotions get to me! I've already had a rough morning as it is!_ He was too busy rambling on inside his head that he didn't feel a paw on his shoulder. Only by the sound of a soft, friendly voice did he realize someone was trying to get his attention.

"You shouldn't let him see that he gets to you like this. Can't give that old windbag more leverage against you by getting upset."

Tango looked up and saw his shadow drake neighbor casting a reassuring smile at him. "Yeah, I know, Osiris, but he knows every which way to do it. Everything that blasted fart speaks somehow gets under my scales. In fact, he just called me a waste of scales."

Osiris was Tango's best friend. From the moment they laid eyes on each other, the two had a strong brotherly bond. The rare elemental drake was dark grey with a lighter grey underbelly. He had two arc-shaped horns with a stiletto style tail blade. He sported a creepy set of dark golden eyes that seemed to look in the very soul of anyone's body they laid upon.

"I know he did," Osiris muttered. "He said it pretty loudly. Didn't know that someone with such an important role in society can be so heartless all the same. But many others and I don't believe the things he says about you or your family. It's not that we don't care about your past. More like we've just adapted to treat it like it is normal."

"Never would have thought that living in the wild for seven years is considered normal," Tango scoffed with a chortle. "Unfortunately, I've had to live with the fact that everyone knows about my history. A past I'd rather bury more than anything else."

"Cheer up, Tango," Osiris encouraged. "If there is one person that respects your past more than anyone, it is me. I wouldn't use it against you as the professor does…or would I?" The dark grey, almost black, drake cast his friend an evil, yet playful glare.

Tango couldn't help but let a smile pull at his muzzle. "You wouldn't do it, but you're more than welcome to try. Not sure you'd last to see the end of the day if you did."

Osiris scoffed jokingly. "The shadows are my element. No one would be able to find me even if they tried."

"You keep forgetting that I have many ways of getting to you," Tango replied, giving his friend one last glance before focusing on the stage.

Back on the stage, Professor Aurian was beginning his lecture on the rich history of Warfang and the war against the Rokonin – a subterranean and highly intelligent form of dragons that trade their wings for incredible size, speed, and strength – and the alliance that formed between the moles and dragons because of it.

"Nearly two-thousand-five-hundred years ago, the great city of Warfang was nothing more than a fishing and trade village of estimated six-hundred citizens," Aurian began, pacing slowly back and forth across the stage. For the longest of time, the village prospered and brought in immense wealth with having access to both sea and land for trade. And the air, if you consider that a form of transporting goods."

A few students chuckled mildly at the unintentional joke as they began to write down important notes with ink and quill. Aurian grunted at them before casting a repugnant glare at Tango lasting no more than half a second.

Tango could hear Osiris silent jeer next to him, praying his dark grey friend wouldn't attract more attention than he hoped for. He exhaled his lungs deeply when Aurian proceeded with the lecture, occasionally resting his hateful gaze on Tango. The electric drake made no gesture to the teacher, wishing he would get on with his teachings.

 _Just like any good teacher should!_ "Not that I consider you a good teacher," he mumbled.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Osiris asked, nudging Tango's shoulder to which the yellow shook his head. The grey shrugged. "Alright, must be hearing things."

Tango sighed and continued to take notes. "No," he whispered. "You don't hear things. He keeps getting to me with those looks. They're bearable, but it's a constant and bitter annoyance to keep seeing them. I wish he wouldn't despise me because of all the mistakes I've made."

"So you're saying you want him to…..like you? Professor Aurian? Like one of his students?" Osiris scoffed. "You've got to be joking."

"I'm not saying I want him to like me. I'm saying I want him to stop treating me like an outsider. I'm an elemental dragon just like him and just like you. Where we come from doesn't define who we are, but by the decisions that we make."

"Ah, you know that is going to be hard, especially because of where he comes from. A rich, and highly respected family of nobles. The kind of nobles who don't have the slightest bit of respect for those who are less fortunate than they are. And to be fair, you don't make it easy on yourself by digging your hole deeper with the mistakes that you make."

"You know just as much as I do that some of those mistakes were unavoidable," Tango argued. "I call that being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although, bad luck has a nasty habit of finding a way to bite me in the butt whenever it gets the chance. I'm like a walking plague whenever someone is around me."

"Okay, not sorry to say this, but the guilt trip and talking down on yourself is not the right way to go," Osiris insisted. "Talking like that around others is only going to make matters worse for you if a teacher finds out about it. I don't know about you, but the idea of some stranger trying to tell me that life is wonderful seems weird and uncomfortable. Hell, I'm getting nervous shivers just thinking about it."

Tango chuckled. "Keep talking like that, and I may as well call you Avala. She keeps telling me the same thing all the time."

"Because it's true," Osiris insisted. "I speak for the both of us that you tend to put yourself into bad situations and make matters worse for everyone by guilt tripping yourself into whatever comes before the depression."

"I know I do, but that's just how I've always been. Living for seven years on your own, having to rely solely on yourself, and not having that shoulder to cry into has made me who I am. Any hard time I had out there, I would sink into a depression, thinking I couldn't make it."

"But here you are now," Osiris uttered. "I think you've got it pretty good, considering where you come from and all. Bumps and bruises are unavoidable, but they aren't forever. Who knows? Maybe you're just getting them all in the same package."

Tango shrugged. "I've always known that life has those ups and downs. But I guess I took life for granted when my family found me that day. I guess I thought that everything was going to get better – which it has no doubt – but maybe the challenge wasn't in trying to survive out in the woods but try to survive amongst my kind."

"That's a new perspective I probably wouldn't have thought of," Osiris said with a sense of surprise. "Who would have thought that a dragon's biggest challenge in life was trying to connect with their kind? Now that, my friend, sounds like a real page-turner. You should be an author."

"One step at a time please," Tango sniggered, playfully poking at Osiris. "Anyway, I think we should focus on class. I've already got plenty on my mind with that old thing breathing down my neck. I don't need my best friend distracting me in class while I'm trying to take important notes."

Osiris held up two innocent paws. "Just looking after a close friend, but if we want to be frank about it, you started it by being an absolute mope." He settled down and jumped back into his note taking, assuming their conversation was over.

"Fair enough," Tango smiled. "Thank you by the way. I guess I owe you one."

Osiris looked up at him with a cheerful look in his dark golden eyes and dipped his head.

"Brothers don't keep score."

* * *

Tango proceeded slowly down a tight corridor in the lower levels of the Academy, his satchel slung snuggly against to his shoulder. The twist and turns of the lower levels seemed like an endless maze of cobblestone. No matter how many times he walked amongst the foundation that carried the weight of the structure that sat above him, he never got used to the musty, pungent odor that filled his nose.

His last three classes had gone a lot smoother than his first class with Professor Aurian. His favorite of them was his fast-paced Mathematics class with Professor Nikova, a teacher he knew he could trust and seek out for guidance and wisdom. Tango's other two classes were only as exciting as any individual made it be. Master Cyril's Magical Theories class was strenuous at times since a lot of the material was irrelevant to Tango since only his lightning element was just brought up in conversation very rarely.

The class he just got out of was with Professor Keyrin, a young and lively water dragoness barely out of the Academy herself being only twenty-six years old. She taught Crystal Sciences and Agriculture with a passion, making each class as fun and exciting as she could. It was always a shame having to see someone get on her wrong side, which was an infrequent occurrence. But it even worse had to leave her class and the positive atmosphere that it brought. Anyone that had her class typically had a smile on their face as they proceeded to lunch.

But Tango had other plans for his lunch hour instead indulging in the succulent and fantastic food items of the student dining hall.

Typically, on his scheduled work days, he'd take the longer route that went through the streets of the city. But with a limited amount of time to do an important task, he opted that the faster way through the Academy's lower levels would be sufficient enough to complete his mission.

"Hopefully, Evigt doesn't keep me longer than I hope," Tango muttered as he rounded a corner.

He knew he was getting close to the armory when the air started to feel hot against his scales and heavy against his lungs. Despite the excellent ventilation within the arsenal, there was nothing that could be done about the heat, despite maybe a couple of ice runes, which were hard to come by and a costly fortune for quality ones.

A sturdy wooden door with iron trim and fittings sat atop a simple stone staircase. Tango climbed the stairs and pushed against the door, a slight burning sensation tingling against his paw pads. Nothing he couldn't bear, but still uncomfortable to say the least. The crackling of the forge filled his ears as he entered through the back of the armory followed swiftly by a wave of heat that washed over him.

He stood in a back room where they stored additional tools and smaller crafting items such as nails, leather strips, fittings, ball bearings, and other assorted things. Not much in the eyes of an ordinary citizen, but to an armorer, they were the most essential pieces to crafting the perfect suit of armor or the most reliable shield. He exited the storage area and entered the main room of the armory, hanging his bag on a nearby hook.

The large room was filled with the many tools of the trade with the forge and anvil being on the far wall with work benches and troughs and other pieces of equipment lining the walls around it. The nasty smell of coal bit at the inside of Tango's nose causing very minimal irritation, a scent that he had grown to be accustomed to

Tango immediately spotted his mentor, Evigt, pulling a red-hot piece of steel out of the forge's bellows with his unique claw gauntlet. In its raw form, it almost looks like any other piece of steel. But to Tango, he immediately saw the starting shape of a sword. He watched as the adult fire drake dropped into a nearby trough of water, the next sound of steam filled the air. Not wanting to startle him, the electric drake approached slowly and on his right side.

Evigt was a lot larger than the averagely sized fire dragon. If he stood next to the most massive earth dragon, an element known for its significant specimens, he could look them dead in the eye and rest his chin on top of their head with ease. But despite his enormous size, he brought nothing to the table except a positive attitude and excellent skill with a hammer and forge.

Anyone that met old Evigt for the first time would surely get shivers up their spines mainly because of his great demeanor, and his overall appearance played a few factors in as well. But what many didn't realize was that Evigt was a former Warfang Guard many, many years ago. Underneath the brown apron and iron facemask he wore, his entire dark crimson scaled body was covered in faded scars, and the membrane in his wings was torn and ripped in multiple places.

To Tango's understanding, Evigt hadn't taken to the skies for nearly twenty years. Something he never thought could be possible by a dragon's standards. But from the many stories that Evigt shared over the years, Tango finally understood why. Throughout many battles and the many injuries he sustained, the cartilage in his wing muscles slowly dissipated. So, the old dragon was grounded permanently. Any attempt to fly could easily snap his wings like twigs causing even the toughest of dragons severe pain and complications.

Tango sympathized over his mentor and friend, but Evigt always told never to shed a tear over something that he couldn't have prevented.

He paced around the old dragon as he worked and came to a stop just under his front left shoulder. With a gentle swipe of the paw, he patted against Evigt's dark grey underbelly, causing the armorer to halt his tasks, pull off the mask and apron, and look down at his apprentice.

"Ah, young Tango," Evigt greeted, his voice hoarse and deep. "I shouldn't be expecting you here for a couple of days. To what do I owe the pleasure."

Tango had worked with Evigt for many years, but it still put the fear of the ancestors in him whenever he saw Evigt's milky right eye and golden left eye. The six jagged horns atop his head were damaged with chips and deep gashes. "I was just coming to deal with the shipments I've been putting off so much. Figured I'd get them done as soon as possible."

"Yes, those shipments have been collecting a lot of dust for the past week now," Evigt reminded. "But why not wait until you come into work to do it? Don't you have important studies to be dealing with first and foremost?"

Tango nodded. "I do have classes, but I've always been a quick study, so I don't need much time to do so. Besides, I'd rather be here doing something I enjoy and make a little money on the side while I do it."

"Of course, you do," Evigt smirked. "Speaking of which, how have your classes been going?"

"Most of them have been going fine."

"Most?" Evigt questioned. "So, there are some that are causing trouble?"

Tango nodded. "World and Warfang Histories."

"Ah, Professor Aurian still giving you a hard time, eh?" Evigt smirked. "Forget your bag at home again?"

"Yeah, what else is new?" Tango sighed. "Nothing but another rough morning of misfortune for me."

"I can see something is troubling you," Evigt pressed. "Did something happen between you two? Something beyond a simple scolding."

As much as he wanted to tell his mentor the truth about what Aurian said to him, Tango assumed it was best not to add the worry of his mentor on top of his already massive shoulders. "No," he shook his head. "He was rather mellow today. I actually enjoyed being in the class more than usual without him getting upset with me. And I stayed on his good side the entire duration of the class. A rather difficult feat if I do say so myself. I'm pretty proud of that."

 _Ancestors, if you can hear me, let him see this lie as truth and not question the topic further,_ Tango prayed silently.

Evigt held his gaze with raised eye ridges for a few moments before turning back to the forge with a smile. "That's the spirit, I just thought I would ask you. I'd feel terrible to be responsible for you failing in school because I let you work here instead of homework. It's why you work so little nowadays. Before it was easy, but now with you being within a couple years of graduating, I'd hate for you to lose it all because of me."

"You don't have to worry about me," Tango reassured. "I manage my time between work and school wisely. If anything comes up and I need the time to focus on school, you will be the first to know. Can't let your renowned reputation shatter because of a student, now can we?"

Evigt chuckled. "No, of course not. Now, I'm guessing you're here on your lunch hour I presume?" Tango nodded. "Very well, would you like me to assist you with the shipment then? You'd be out of here and not smelling like a bag of coal if I did. Also gives you a chance to put food in your stomach."

"I wouldn't mind the assistance, thank you," Tango responded considerately. "Besides, one could actually say I let you let me work here."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Tango," Evigt smiled as he turned and closed the coal grate and bellows up behind him. "In fact, I don't regret my decision to take you into this business. You've got an armorer's touch. A skill which very few possess. Now regarding the shipments, I was probably going to have to assist anyway. It was a big one from the port. Lots of raw material as well as a few new pieces of equipment to replace some of the old ones."

"It should be right outside the smithy, yes?"

"That's where I was told it was delivered as far as I am concerned," Evigt nodded as he lumbered past Tango, his mace of a tail swinging behind him nearly knocking the smaller drake to the floor. He led the young dragon outside the front entrance of the smithy, which was conveniently located near the front door of the school. And just as predicted, there were many crates as well as a few large basins of coal and crafting materials.

Evigt instructed Tango to inspect the manifest to make sure everything was accounted for while he spoke with the guards that were assigned to watch the particular goods. Evigt joined him a few minutes later and kindly took the manifest from Tango. "Everything here, young one?"

"Yes, everything was accounted for as you requested," Tango replied promptly. "I didn't notice any ice or wind runes on the manifest though. Must not have been any available?"

"Must be coming in the next shipment," Evigt agreed. "I had put in the request for some, but I guess the process of getting runes is a lot more strenuous than I had thought. Keep your chin up though. We'll have some soon enough."

"You actually want the runes now," Tango asked. "Every time I've asked before you've put the idea behind you.

Evigt smirked at him, placing the manifest parchment on top of a crate. "I may be a fire dragon, little one. But I like feeling a nice cold breeze on my scales as much as the next guy does. Believe me, I understand the feeling like you do."

Tango dipped his head, flashing a brief smile. "Fair enough. What should we take inside first?"

Evigt did a brief scan of the crates and looked back at the young yellow. "The unrefined steel and iron as well as the crates of armor and claw gauntlets I can have myself," Evigt said. "I want you to bring the coal inside and put it next to the basin. We don't really need it, but we may as well take advantage of it while it is here. Think you can handle that?"

"Shouldn't be too hard," Tango shrugged. "It's good for the shoulders. Dragoness's love broad shoulders." He winked at his mentor before approaching a large basin of coal.

"You remember how to do it without hurting yourself?" Evigt asked, still suppressing a snicker from the previous comment.

Tango nodded to Evigt, performing the task as such as he spoke. "Pick it up from one side and get beneath it." The weight of the basin was significant but manageable. "Grab the handle with my jaws and tip myself back onto all fours." The immediate strain in his shoulders, calves, and thighs made his body tense up.

"Just like I had taught you. Now do be careful when walking through the smithy. I'd rather you break a piece of equipment over your own back." Evigt helped center the long, shallow coal basin on Tango's back, hoping to avoid any injury to his apprentice. "Once you've gotten all three of them inside, come find me."

Tango nodded with some restriction, the rope in his mouth pulling on his jaws. With massive steps, he trudged his way into the forge, being delicate of both his body and his surroundings, the former being his number one priority. The uncomfortable basin dug into the back of his neck against the way of his scales, causing some slight irritation.

Once he was beside the forge, he carefully reversed the steps he took to get the basin on his back. The coal-filled bowl smacked against the ground with a sharp ringing noise, but it came off Tango's back with zero complications. He took a moment to catch his breath, taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. His pulse was beating higher than usual, but nothing he needed to be worried over.

"One down, two to go," he breathed quietly.

The next two basins came more comfortable than the first one did. Tango's time expected to complete the task seemed to cut itself in half, but he was much more winded than he had hoped for. The moment his breathing was back down, and he stretched the stiffness out of his shoulders, neck, and back, Tango paced throughout the armory, his destination set being his mentor.

Tango found Evigt setting down a small crate in the storage room he entered many minutes earlier. "I've finished bringing in the coal like you asked."

Evigt cast a glance over his shoulder. "Good work and just in time to. Come here and let me show you something. I think you'll find the contents of this rather interesting. And I have a new task for you if you're up to it."

"Never one to back down from a challenge," Tango shrugged, pausing next to the fire dragon and peering into the box instantly freezing at the contents it held. "Is that what I think it is? Where in the world did you find black quartz?" He took a small piece in his paws, eyeballing it delicately.

"Not sure to be honest," Evigt replied with a motion of his shoulders. "When I was ordering this shipment, I noticed them on the available materials parchment. I have no use for them, but I knew that a certain little dragon with a passion for sculpting and crafting might."

"I've wanted to build something out of this for a long time, but it's so expensive to purchase in the city," Tango added. "I don't know what to say…..thank you. You don't know what this means to me."

Evigt planted a paw on Tango's shoulders. "For you, my boy, anything. It's my gift to you for all the hard work you put in here. And as a show of good faith, I'm delivering it to your residence on my way home. And I may or may not be delivering something else as well."

"Like what?" Tango pressed, his voice tinged with excitement.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," Evigt whispered with a laugh, opening the back entrance to the smithy. "Also, you're probably wondering what your new task is, no?"

Tango nodded.

"Well, the mission I have for you is not a hard one, but a very time consuming one instead," Evigt began to explain. "A special order of silver ore and titanium plating is coming in from the port the same day as your next shift. But I won't be here to see to it that it gets received and stored properly."

"So you'd like me to take your place and deal with the shipment…..by myself?"

"Is that an issue?"

"No," Tango shook his head. "Not at all. I'll get it done. You can count on me."

"I knew I could," Evigt dipped his head, handing Tango his satchel. "Now run along to class before I have your teachers yelling at me too."

Tango smiled at his mentor, taking the satchel and slinging it over his shoulder. "If there is one thing that I am good at it is being punctual. Take care, Evigt. I'll see you maybe later this evening."

"Maybe, young one," Evigt grinned. "Now go on, get!"

The electric dragon said one last goodbye, before disappearing through the heavy door that slammed shut behind him. The warmth of the forge slowly being left behind and replaced with the cold depths of the Academy lower levels. He paced himself with a jog, being careful to avoid bumping into the walls mere feet away. His excitement about the quartz nearly careening him off track.

After a few minutes of running back through the stone maze, he found himself standing at the bottom of a marble staircase with a forest green rug laced with golden stitching running down its center. Tango slowly climbed the stairs, not wanting to attract the attention of students that passed by near the top. A clock affixed to a wall opposite the staircase revealed Tango only had twenty minutes until he needed to have his tail planted behind a desk.

A quick calculation and judgment call made a choice to what he should do very, very clear. He would be late for sure if he opted to stop at the kitchen for a quick bite. His class was precisely on the other side of the school and up about five floors.

Tango's stomach growled loudly. "I can't last the rest of the day without eating something. I'll be energy-less for my lessons after school." He thought about his options once more, trying to pull together any place that he could get some sort of sustenance. As he pondered, he started walking in the general direction of his next area of study.

But after much thoughtful deliberation, Tango continued to come up empty, and his stomach only growled at him more often and with even more discomfort. He paused to stamp his foot angrily, baring his teeth in anger. By now, the servers in the kitchen were closing up the buffet and kicking out any remaining students. Leaving the ones who were late with an empty stomach for the remainder of the day.

"Come on think. Kitchen is closed, the market is too far, and no one packs lunches anymore," Tango muttered, pacing in a circle, halting only moments later, the realization finally hitting him. "But it's the time of year when the fruit trees in the upper gardens are rich with ripened fruit. And it's close to my next class."

With no time to lose, Tango made his way to the upper gardens where the few ripened fruit trees were planted, a real highlight of the many exterior gardens that speckled the Academy like freckles on a young dragoness's face. Their added beauty and sights of the city made them an ideal hangout spot and a place for other activities, some a little more inappropriate than others. Tango would know, having walked in on couples getting down to the business.

Tango peaked through the entrance of the garden, having only minutes to spare before the five-minute bell would ring. He exhaled the air from his lungs, seeing no one out on the lush terrace. The green leafed trees covered in matured orange fruits. Making the most of his precious time, Tango went for the largest and ripest of the fruit. Their sweet juices ran down his throat as he chewed on the savory flesh quickly nourishing his hunger.

His appetite and ability to eat fruits and vegetables came from his time when he was still living outside the Whispering Wilds when Flower was staying with him as her meals consisted of mainly fruits and vegetables. At first, the taste was bitter and distasteful, but over time his taste buds and stomach adapted to the pleasant flavor the new food groups brought.

He felt his stomach growl in thanks for being filled with food. The bell rang as he was tossing the cores into the bushes, a slight panic settling into his chest. "Satisfying my hunger will have been pointless if I don't make it to class on time." Without a second thought, he took off out of the garden and immediately hooked a right.

Right into a mole carrying a high stack of rolled parchment and scrolls.

Tango felt hot all over his body with pure embarrassment. He looked down upon the mole, helping him to his feet. The mole glared up furiously at Tango, adjusting the glasses on his face.

"Hey, what is the big idea?" The mole said irritably. "Kan't Manweresmall mole ackomplish simple task vithout being rrran over by dragon?"

"I-I'm so sorry," Tango stuttered. "It's just that the bell rang, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't mean to run into you, sir."

"Young drrragons," the mole scoffed. "Always in big hurry and not being konsiderrrate of zose lesser zan zem."

"I truly didn't mean to run into you, sir," Tango implied. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"You kan starrrt by helping me pick up zese scrrrolls zat you karrrelessly made me drrrop on floorrr," the mole huffed as he started to pack up the scattered pieces of parchment. "Zen ve kan go ourrr seperrrate vays vith zerrro questions asked. Underrrstand?"

Tango bobbed his head, hoping to keep the mole from snapping at him further. To his relief, he received no further berating. Without a moment's hesitation, he began to gather and stack the scrolls onto the outreached arms of the mole, occasionally getting an annoyed grunt from the still angered mole. Tango counted the seconds down in his head, knowing the final bell would ring at any moment.

Once the last scroll was placed in the full arms of the mole, he looked at Tango with a hard stare that bore into the young dragon's scales. "Be karrreful next time young drrragon. Prrromise me you'll be morrre mifdful when rrrunning thrrrough halls, even zough it is frrrowned upon."

"I promise," Tango said kindly, dipping his head. "And I apologize once more."

"You'rrre apology is grrreatly accepted. Now you should get to class beforrre you'rrre late," the mole said before proceeding on with his personal matters, leaving Tango alone in the hallway.

The young dragon cast a glance back at the mole before walking to his next class. With what seemed like mere seconds to spare, Tango ran the final lengths to his class, stopping outside to compose himself. Just as he was about to enter, a familiar face walked around a corner from a nearby hallway, freezing Tango in his tracks. His heart started to beat faster, and an uncomfortable sensation that felt like butterflies in his stomach began to rise.

"I completely forgot that she was in my class," Tango mumbled.

He watched as the red dragoness, Kyza, approached him with grace and confidence, eyeballing him with a confused glare, stopping in front of him and tilting her head. "Are you okay there, Sparky? You look lost."

"I'm not lost at all," Tango replied without hesitation, trying his best not to stare at awe in her beauty.

She was covered in bright, ruby red scales that shined similar to the jewel they were colored after. Her smooth underbelly was dark crimson flecked with light grey specks that looked random yet held some sort of an uneven pattern Tango couldn't figure out since staring was considered rude especially from a male towards a female. On top of her head was a trio of dark ivory horns that reminded him of the horns on his mothers head.

But he couldn't help but get lost in her mesmerizing violet eyes. Their twinkle revealed the confidence that showed in her attractive and athletic built form that seemed to have been sculpted by the ancestors, the perfect looking dragoness. At least in Tango's eyes.

"How are you, Kyza?"

"Besides rescuing moronic electric drakes from the sides of buildings, I've been doing alright," she said softly, her voice smooth and pure.

"Can't really call someone moronic when it wasn't exactly their fault they ended up trapped in ice on the side of the Academy," Tango winked. "We're talking about the same incident, right?"

"Yes," Kyza said seriously, approaching him slowly, and stopping. Their muzzles a few inches apart from touching. "And guiltiness by association makes them a moron, and it makes it their fault."

"Guiltiness by association?" Tango asked with a smile, moving even closer to her, inhaling her sweet scent that tickled his nose. "But doesn't that make you guilty by association as well?"

"Oh, however, do you so mean?"

"For falling in love with the moronic electric drake, you rescued from the side of a building." Without making a second thought, he leaned in to kiss Kyza, his secret girlfriend, on the lips. Just as his lips were about to make contact, the bell rang causing him to sigh. "We…. Are late to class."

"Saved by the bell," Kyza smiled. "Besides, I think Master Volteer is pretty lenient about students walking in late. So, your perfect record is safe, my Spark." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, starting to move past him as she did, her tail trailing just under his chin being careful not to cut his neck with her tail blade.

Tango watched her go, smiling brightly at her toying with him, wishing that they could be like this all the time. It was these little interactions with her that brightened his day, making all of the bad seem to fade away. But it wasn't often that he got to spend time with her.

Tango and Kyza kept their relationship a secret from everyone for many reasons. They didn't feel the need to share their relationship with the world because they didn't want the eyes and mouths of thousands of dragons continually breathing down their necks. Focusing on strengthening the love they had for each other without the opinions of others came before everything else. Once they were both comfortable and confident, then and only then, would they officially _start_ dating in everyone's eyes.

For now, they were two strangers in the eyes of the people.

He gave it a moment before following suit and entering his class.

"I'll get my kiss from you someway somehow, my Fire."

* * *

 **A/N: Probably weren't expecting that ending were you! But I technically did hint at something in a previous chapter, specifically something that Tango said to his sister, Avala. The plan was to have them fall in love later on, but I liked the idea of having them already dating. Oh, the many doors that I have opened up with this direction.** **.**

 **Hope you liked it! See you next time!**

 **Atlas FF Out!**


	5. Lessons of Power

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Lessons of Power**

* * *

The rest of the school day went by seemingly faster than a snap of the fingers. Each class filled to the brim with knowledge and the excitement of learning from the young students. Each teacher is doing their job all down to the letter, keeping the lessons long and the homework short. Tango thoroughly enjoyed two of his final three classes of the day the most as they were simple and memorable. The last level proved to be more challenging than he had initially believed it to be. But if anything did occur, it was that Kyza was on his mind through all three of them.

They shared their final class together but could hardly find the time to speak with each other, let alone see one another, after class. When the bell rang, the hallways filled, and they both became another face in the crowd. Their scales mingling with a plethora of other colors and disappearing until their eyes could meet once more. A clash between his bright blue eyes and her sparkling violet eyes sent him into a fit of tremors no matter how brief they maintained contact.

"Maybe it is for the best," Tango often told himself, knowing that the secrecy of their relationship was sacred to her. Being the good boyfriend, he believed he was, Tango honored it. He couldn't remember the last time he told her that he loved her. Or even the last date they went on.

He remembered their sweet, yet short, little conversations they shared in the hallways. The fresh scent of Kyza's scales that reminded him of the meadows in the city. The brightness in her smile and the twinkle in her eyes filled his heart with joy and his stomach with butterflies. Tango was lucky to have her in his life, even if their interactions were brief.

There were times where he wouldn't see Kyza for a couple of days, despite being in two classes with her. He never liked to call himself desperate for anything, but Tango longed to feel the touch of her lips against his own. Or the warmth of holding her in an embrace. But being the patient drake that he was, he knew he'd get his chance sooner than later. And if he were lucky, he wouldn't have to wait very long.

Tango had learned a long time ago that having patience in life's most impatient moments was both a gift and a virtue. He liked to think that it was something he was born with, but in reality, it was taught to him by his mentor and first best friend, the old mole Flower. When she was showing him how to speak, he grew up with vexation rather quickly over the simple things, which conflicted with his ability to learn how to speak. That's when he realized he would never learn if he clouded his mind with frustration.

But there were still moments in his life that made his patience thin and his temper short.

For the past hour, Tango sat in the temple training grounds waiting for his sister as well as Masters Volteer and Cyril. He couldn't possibly think of their reasoning for being this late, knowing that all three of them were professionals of punctuality. It made him sick in the stomach that he was growing more and more irritated as the minutes ticked by even though he had the patience of a thousand priests. Maybe it was his high interest in being personally trained by not one, but two of the Guardians. Both of which he was well acquainted with. Sometimes having your father as the Legendary purple dragon had its perks.

But even that had its downsides, many of which bothered Tango.

He cast his eyes around the training arena, hoping to take his mind off the fact that his family and teachers might not even show up. Tango took to his feet and walked down a set of stairs to the grounds which sank into the ground with twenty-foot walls around the edges.

The training grounds were the biggest that Tango had ever seen. His families private grounds came in at a distant second at only half the size. The properties large capacity came with the seats to house sporting and fighting events between students, citizens and visiting kingdoms from around the realms. Set in a series of rings comprised of grass, sand, gravel, and concrete. In the center was a large pool of water roughly four feet deep, just deep enough a dragon his size could keep his head barely above the surface.

Tango had watched many fights end in and around the pool. One competitor is holding the unfortunate other's head under water until they gave in or slipped out of consciousness needed to be resuscitated by a medical official. But even those endings were rare. Most fights ended in the sand and dirt where one would initiate a death lock upon the other, therefore finishing the match. Or the occasional ending where both fighters passed out from overwhelming exhaustion, thus ending the fight in a draw.

There would be a day when Tango was either winning a match of his own or drowning in a pool in front of thousands. He'd rather be the former, but he had accepted the fact that there would be the occasions where he would have to be the latter. The yellow drake hoped there would be very few of those occasions. He was well built; toned muscles slabbed his body, his chest and shoulders being his defining features. If it wasn't his home, the classroom, or the forge, his favorite place to be was the gym, pushing himself to the limit with weighted sessions on the track and climbing walls. No one would assume he was weak unless they knew about his flaws when it came to conjuring magic.

The young drake paced around the pool, peering over at his reflection on the transparent, glassy surface. The water at a complete standstill with no wind or anything of the sort causing even the slightest of ripples. Like staring at a mirror world that could disappear in an instant with even the most minor disturbance. His bright blue eyes were giving light to the darker blue liquid. But with staring at the water brought a darkness that shrouded over him like a tidal wave.

Staring at his reflection reminded Tango of the day that his parents found him. The day that he almost died from the cold winds. The mere thought of that dreadful night sent shivers up and down his spine, waves of tingling sensations in each of his scales. He didn't share that part of his background with anyone, not even Kyza. The very thought that he almost died that night still haunted him and the idea of getting someone involved in something they wouldn't be able to understand fully was better left as a stone unturned.

Tango sighed heavily, knowing it was going to be hard to keep that secret from Kyza. It didn't seem fair for him to hide things from her when she was always open and upfront with him. He couldn't imagine how she would react if he told her that he came close to death many years ago. He didn't want to risk their relationship over the matter.

He shook the thought from his mind, trying to settle on something more pleasant. "Maybe when the time is right, I'll tell Kyza the whole truth. I don't want to worry her about me more than she thinks she needs to."

The electric dragon took a moment to compartmentalize his thoughts and compose his negative emotions tightly into a mental box. Tango let his head slump down as he inhaled a deep and filling breath into his lungs. His body began to relieve its tension, and he slowly started to relax. He closed his eyes, feeling the calmness flow steadily through his veins before finally exhaling. He repeated the process, letting the relaxation wash over him drowning the negativity out. It felt good to relieve the tension that swung over his head like an anchor.

Tango felt like he could easily curl up and take a nap, but as he opened his eyes to stare out at the pool mere inches from his toes and face, he about had a heart attack. His heart rate felt like it popped a blue energy crystal and accelerated itself all the way to eleven. His vision went blurry for a brief moment, but he found himself staring back into the water, right into the eyes of Master Volteer.

The yellow spun around to see the Electric Guardian towering over him with a wide grin across his features. Tango returned the smile with a scowl, taking yet another deep breath to calm down. His beating heart felt ready to bust out of his chest. But he couldn't keep a straight face around Master Volteer as his composure quickly broke, and he stifled a laugh.

Volteer chuckled from deep in his throat. "Young Tango, we must sharpen your ability to make a simple, unpretentious, unassuming scowl," he teased gently. "I can't have a student who is always in such a virtuous mood, now can I?"

"Now where is the fun in being a sour, unpleasant, and bitter drake all the time, Master?" Tango retorted, beaming a smile and challenge at the old dragon. "If I knew any better, it would seem like you want me to be a disagreeable little dragon and have a dark cloud follow me everywhere I go."

"Well, of course not," Volteer said, a little taken back, his voice full of drama. "The ancestors would never allow me to fill a pure soul with darkness and get away with it. I'd have to rethink my title as Guardian if I ever did such a gut-wrenching thing."

"No offense, Master," Tango smiled. "I think the ancestors are the least of your worries because I am pretty sure my parents would have a lot of unfathomable words to say if they heard about a Guardian plaguing their child's mind with obscurity and pessimism."

Volteer shuddered violently at the thought of that occurring. "I wouldn't dream of it, young one. Now, I must sincerely apologize for my unprofessionalism and punctuality by being exceptionally tardy to which I have zero justifications."

Tango blinked slowly at the Guardian, trying to swallow the thesaurus of words thrown at him mentally. "I-It's okay, Master. It was nice to get a chance to mellow out before we started the lessons. But if I may ask, where are Master Cyril and my sister? Shouldn't they be here as well?"

"Ah, yes, yes," Volteer spoke brightly once more. "Cyril and your sister are conducting element specific training in a different training center for the evening. So, we possess the entirety of this arena all to our very selves for the next couple of hours."

"That works for me," Tango shrugged. "I've been trying to figure out the topic of this lesson all day, and I keep coming up with nothing."

Volteer sighed heavily. "Well, today's lesson is to run-through the fundamentals of conjuring the ways of the lightning element. Professor Sygra informed me that while she had been observing her students conduct themselves efficiently with their elements, she also noticed how you struggled to grasp simple forms of yours. Is this true?"

Tango nodded shamefully, his eyes downcast, and his once cheerful mood is slipping away. "Yes….it is true. I've been having serious trouble."

Volteer hummed to himself. "Walk with me, young Tango." The much larger lightning dragon lumbered around with Tango by his side. They padded along the outer ring of the arena where the sweet green grass tickled the soft skin between their toes.

Tango could feel the tension but couldn't put a claw on whether or not it was upright or wicked. His mind was telling him that Master Volteer would never lash out at a student nor get frustrated over minor issues. He drew his eyes up at the yellow Guardian, only to see the characteristically bright resting face of the Master.

The pair silently strolled as they ventured around the training area before Volteer finally broke the silence between them.

"What can you tell me about your predicament with forming simple bolts and arcs of electricity?" Volteer began, his voice soothing.

"I…I-I'm not sure what you mean, to be honest, Master," Tango stuttered. "It's not that I am incapable, it is just more of a challenge rather than second nature. It feels unnatural to use my power when everyone else uses it like they were shooting fire or rocks or ice or even electricity since the day they hatched from their eggs. My own sister knew more about her element before I even knew what another dragon looked like."

"I understand that much, little one; I don't know anything besides that," Volteer shrugged. "Your sister is a different case. It is sporadic for a dragon, let alone a dragoness, to acquire their abilities at such a young age. It happens only once every few generations. That's no reason for an excuse for your issues. I'd say more, but I don't know everything."

"But….didn't Professor Sygra tell you what is wrong with me?"

"Tango," Volteer said calmly. "You must understand that it isn't as simple as you think. Each dragon has its flaws when it comes to conjuring such magic. It could be a lack of physicality, shortness of certain emotions, or maybe you just haven't developed the warrior's mentality yet. All of these are possible reasons for your discrepancies. But only you have the answers to your problems. And I must help coax those answers out."

"But what if you can't, Master," Tango fretted. "What if I'm just unable to progress like an abnormal yellow dragon? What if I am stuck being able to….to do the same thing for the rest of my life knowing that I will never get better? I don't want to go through something that no one wants to go through."

"Now, now, you're not abnormal. You're just slow to the natural changes to your body," Volteer reassured. "Let's not berate ourselves just because we feel a little hopeless. I promise that we'll get to the bottom of this matter and I am positive that in no time, you'll be up to par with the rest of your classmates and peers. So, you say it feels like a challenge, like a chore, like something you don't want to do, but you know it's in our biology."

"Just like a chore," Tango agreed.

"And now we have officially made progress. Very minimal, almost insignificant progress, but it is better than nothing. We may proceed forward," Volteer commented. "You have to trust me. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," Tango spoke confidently, hearing the belief in the Guardian's voice. "I….I won't let you down."

"Good dragon," Volteer commended, as he started to walk over to a large statue on a dragon in a modest posture. "Now, I want to assess your abilities, so I can see what I need to focus on for your adapted training."

"Adapted training?"

"Of course," Volteer shrugged. "Since Professor Sygra has been unable to use her methods to help you, we must forge a new one for you to use while in class. To do that, we need to unlock the secrets that hide deep within your power core. Would you mind standing over there?" The old dragon pointed to the border between the ring of grass and the ring of sand.

"I guess that makes sense. Power core is the embodiment of our power, and we'd be nothing without it. And you know this will work?" Tango shuffled to where the Guardian was pointing, casting his gaze back towards the statue. The blue sapphire eyes of the stone figure stared into him with a blank coldness.

"While you are correct about the power core is the lifeblood of our species, it is not a requirement for us to live. There are many cases of dragons being born with no powers at all, some of them being albino. Because during egg development, we are vulnerable to magic as it can have abnormal effects. The color of our scales, our elements, even our gender can easily be changed up until a certain point in growth."

"And you think this might be my case? That while my egg was left alone in the Whispering Wilds, someone…altered it," Tango questioned. "What makes you think that, Master?"

"It is a possibility, but also unlikely if your true parents understood that altering an egg is against our laws and traditions. Besides, you're not the first dragon I've had to help, Tango," Volteer commented, as he fiddled with the statue. "And I don't expect you to be the last either. Your case may not be as bad as some others that I've had to solve. I've been to many seminars and read through thousands of texts to know what might be wrong with you."

I'm not the only one, Tango thought to himself. "Why do I feel like there is a but coming?"

"But," Volteer continued. "Since I've had a couple of days to ponder over what your teacher has told me and knowing the entirety of your history, I've come to a revelation that it may not be a physical problem, but a mental and emotional one. By doing this easy test, we will soon find out if my theory is correct."

The only statue in the ring was the control hub for all intensive training purposes and mock battles between students and magic-controlled dummies. Anything could be made to simulate an enemy from little apes and grublins to larger, hostile dragons of any element. An impressive machine of dragon design, but perfected by the smaller, craftier hands of the mole citizens. Just another technological advancement of the ever-progressing city.

"What do you need me to do, Master?"

As he spoke, Master Volteer pulled a switch. "I want you to strike this training dummy down with a bolt of energy." A loud echo of clattering gears filled the arena when a single training dummy materialized itself out of straw and wood. It was an Ape. But it stood very, very still like a living statue. "As you can see, it is a physical representation of a hostile ape creature. The same creature used during the invasion of the city by the dark lord, Malefor. An invasion thwarted by your parents. Lightning quick, strength in numbers, and loyal to a fault, but sick and twisted like the evil dragon himself. It's a blessing to the world that those armies fell. Too many countless lives, upright drakes, dragoness's, and younglings lost by the blades of these vile things." He spat his final words.

Tango gulped, giving Volteer a worried look.

"I apologize if I frightened you," Volteer said softly. "Those were hard times, but we are in a time of peace and tranquility. Now, as I was saying before, I want you to shoot a single arc of lightning at this dummy. Hit it center mass right in the chest, which if this were a real enemy – a shame that it isn't – it would kill it instantly."

"A-and if I miss," Tango mumbled. "Will it fight back?"

"Don't worry, young dragon. It will not attack you, and it won't even move," he reassured. "Think of it as motivation to enhance your abilities. Plus, I'd like to use this arena again without getting my ears chewed out by a cleaning crew. Obliterate the dummy when you feel ready. Remember, this is only an assessment of your current abilities."

He felt uncomfortable standing in proximity of the dummy. His body shivered as he stared into the lifeless holes where eyes would typically be. Something about the way the ape stood menacingly hit home, causing flashes of his past to appear in his head. Glimpses of the Whispering Wilds and the evil, demonic horrors that stalked inside. The sources of his scars that covered the length of his body, a long thin line on his neck being the most distinct. His permanent reminder of where he was born. He swallowed slowly and shook his head roughly, not allowing memories to get to him.

Tango took a deep breath and let himself begin to concentrate. His teacher, Professor Sygra, always drilled that into her student's heads when she was teaching. Keep your minds clear and allow yourself to focus. It was the one lesson he needed to rely on most as he found the most success and least amount of failure.

He eyed the straw dummy with wicked determination as he reared his head back, his maw ajar, before lurching forward allowing the electrical energy to take shape and shoot out of his jaws. A bright flash of yellow stung at his eyes, causing him to canter off his balance. Screwing his lids shut, he spat a quick bolt of the electricity before a sharp tension in his jaws forced him to halt his blast. Opening his eyes and peering at the target in front of him, he sighed with disbelief and stomped an aggressive paw on the ground.

The yellow had missed the target entirely by roughly twenty feet. The black marks of singed grass and glass-turned sand were inconsistent, a sign of a weak and ineffective blast of energy. He drifted his eyes over to Master Volteer, who sighed significantly and profoundly. Tango felt tight in the stomach, knowing he had just disappointed a Guardian with whom he shared an element, and he couldn't bring himself to look into Volteer's gaze, knowing it was likely to be full of displeasure.

"I told you," Tango muttered. "It's a challenge for me. I am unable to perform a simple shot on an immobile enemy."

"It is only a challenge because you allow yourself to doubt your capabilities. While you did miss the target, you showed me what I need to know and what I need to do to make your adapted training simpler for you and your teacher," Volteer said, no edge to his voice. "But there is more you must tell me before we can proceed. Tell me, how did you feel on the inside when before, during, and after you finished shooting the electricity?"

Tango licked his lips, swallowing dryly. "Before I even started thinking about shooting the blast, I felt nervous and scared. Like I was intimidated by an enemy that I wasn't seeing. I felt small and feeble against something that aimed to strike me down without an ounce of hesitation."

"You felt nervous?" Volteer questioned. "But you have seen these practice dummies before? You should feel accustomed to their existence and presence, yet you feel nervous around them. Why is that I wonder?"

Tango felt a darkness wash over him. "I felt like I was back in the forest…w-where I was found. A place where I felt powerless and extremely vulnerable to the dangers that lived there. The scars on my body are constant reminders of where I am from."

"But it is the memories that are repeating themselves in your head over and over again," Volteer added knowingly. "Do the dummies trigger these…... raw images? I can shut the dummy down if you aren't comfortable."

Tango nodded, wiping a tear forming in the corners of his eyes. He sank back onto his haunches as his breath began to shake with dread. The sound of the dummy collapsing filled his ears before a bright light of magic dissipated the straw and wood into nothingness. He could feel the vibrations in the ground as Master Volteer took a seat next to him, placing a giant paw on the small dragon's back.

"I can't fight these things, Master," Tango croaked. "Let alone destroy one that stands perfectly still and doesn't fight back."

"How long has this been happening, Tango? These images in your head?" Volteer asked tenderly.

"E-Ever since my parents adopted me," Tango admitted. "Ever since I've been in this city, my mind has been plagued by memories of my past. And not good ones either. Single meaningless objects to a common citizen like a reflection in water or a branch blowing in the wind seem…."

"Meaningless and natural," Volteer said, finishing his sentence.

"But to me, they sometimes trigger a memory from my years in the forest. A memory where I got hurt by something that I couldn't defend myself. A time where I thought I was going to draw my last breath before being cut open and letting my innards greet the dirt. I was defenseless then, and I am still defenseless now."

"Why do you assume you are defenseless? Maybe back then, but surely not now," Volteer asked rhetorically. "Your body has developed abilities that necessitate some labor to yield near faultlessness. Think of it like crafting a new sword in the forge with Evigt. Imagine your elemental gift as a piece of raw iron ready to be forged into the sharpest steel sword, ready to strike down your oppressors. What do you need to make such a weapon?"

Tango couldn't help but let his mouth form a smile. "To make such a weapon you need the proper material, being carbon-rich iron ore. But during the smelting process, you have to remove impurities like sulfur, phosphorus, and even unnecessary carbon by adding limestone. This process also limits the number of possible gasses within the metal like nitrogen and oxygen, which ensures the quality of the weapon crafted from the steel."

"And what of the actual forging of the sword?" Volteer asked curiously. "Surely you must have learned how a weapon is built."

"It's a lengthy and time-consuming process that can take days at a time for the untrained novice. But for a seasoned veteran like Evigt, it can all be done in less than a couple of days," Tango explained. "But this is an art and craft that takes a steady hand, a vast knowledge, and a keen eye, as well as many years of experience with many successes and failures alike."

"As do all things in life, Tango," Volteer nodded. "That is what I am trying to teach you when it comes to your magic. It takes a lifetime of experiences both positive and negative for you to truly understand what it means to control your element. It's a constant learning process. I, myself, am still learning every single day both in my element and that of others. But what you need to understand the most is that the only way to face your fear to fight them directly. If you can do that, then in due time, you will find success with your power."

Tango shivered at the notion, but he understood that his teacher meant it with good intentions. "I understand what you are trying to say, Master. But I can't get these images out of my head. They are deep inside my brain, controlling the way I think and the way I see the world. It's my way of life that I am afraid I won't be able to escape."

Volteer exhaled. "Do your parents know about this?"

Tango shook his head. "I've thought about telling them on multiple occasions, but I'm afraid that it will turn into a huge fiasco involving multiple third parties. I can't add more weight onto their shoulders when they already worry too much about Avala and me as it is. But I am also afraid that I won't find peace by doing all of this by myself. My mind is too conflicted to come to a solid decision."

Volteer hummed deep in his throat, acknowledging the concerns of the young drake. "In that case, I think it would be wise of you to get them involved. You may have your reasons for keeping them in the dark, but you will find that hiding your pain and problems will only delve you deeper into the darkness. I'd suggest telling them because you may discover that bringing them into the shadows of your fear may be the best alternative as they could be the light to combat the shadows. I think you will come to learn that you aren't the only one in your household that has had this issue before involving bad memories affecting your training abilities."

"What do you mean, not the only one?"

"Another lesson you must come to know, little Tango, is that one individual may possess the resolve to all your conundrums, but closure may never befall upon you," Volteer explained. "But those who seek guidance and wisdom from multiple entities will prosper and fulfill their goals. So, you must inquire your family of the problems you are having, or these reoccurring matters will continue to eat away at your sanity."

The smaller yellow dragon accepted the statement with a sense of apprehension and resolved, his decision-making process still lightly clouded with a slight chance of fulfillment. He always felt conflicted over the need of involving his parents because it could make the memories hurt more and after a decade of never managing to come close with coping with his past, he never wanted to test those waters. But Tango feared he was about to be forced to jump in if he didn't. The decision was apparent, and he knew that it was the one that made the most amount of sense.

"If you believe that my parents are the key to helping me find peace, then I trust you," Tango finally said. "I'll talk to them for my sake, but I don't know how I should approach them with such a question. My parents can be a little unpredictable about serious questions."

Volteer stifled a chuckle. "That they can be, but I believe you'll do just fine and when the time comes, you will know the right questions to ask. You may fear the worst from your parents, but you forget that it is their job to provide for you and tend to your needs. They aren't the enemy and definitely shouldn't be treated as such, but I would approach them with your inquiries cautiously. I know from experience with my parents when I was your age that rushing head first never made the asking easier. But other than that, have faith in them and don't leave out any details. Can you do that for me, Tango?"

Tango dipped his head. "I can do that for you, Master. And I think I know how to approach them about it."

"My prayers to the Ancestors that it works in your favor," Volteer said. "Now, since we've discovered the real truth about your problem with using your element, I insist we have a more positive conversation. It feels too grim to be constantly talking about how unfortunate your predicament is, and I believe I know what we should talk about to pass the time."

"As much as I want to keep training, I honestly couldn't agree more. Something to ease the sadness off my mind can't hurt," Tango felt a spark of interest hit him. "And what do you think we should talk about?"

Volteer made himself comfortable on the grass, crossing his paws in front of him. Tango followed suit. "Well, you see, when I made the analogy regarding your work in the forge, I never expected you to have such a vast knowledge about what goes into steel making. It truly is an extraordinary ability to have such a keen learning ability, and I am so fortunate to have heard all about it, but I would like to know more," Volteer began. "No offense, of course."

"No offense taken," Tango dipped his head. "I have to thank Evigt for what he has taught me as well as the many books I've read too. He is a wonderful teacher, and I wouldn't have gained such an interest if it weren't for him. The forge is the one place where I find a lot of peace and relaxation outside of my home. Besides the poor air quality and constant heat, I consider that my second home."

"It may come as a surprise to you," Volteer said, his voice with a hint of playful sarcasm. "But my second home was the library. The former librarian, may he rest in peace, was like a father to me. Helped me find whatever book I needed for my studies, especially during my apprenticeship to the previous electric Guardian. There have been countless nights where I have found myself waking up in the library, an open book still in my paws. And he never complained once, just asked that I respect the texts and the library in general. I'd assume Evigt is like this, yes?"

Tango nodded. "Never once has he snapped at me for screwing up or anything for that matter. Always helps me with my projects and tasks, most of the time without me even asking for assistance at all. He takes good care of me, pays me fairly, bestows the occasional rare material to make little sculptures with, like the black quartz he gave me today, and he puts my education above all of his personal needs in the forge. Says he doesn't want to be the one that makes me fail in school because I get overworked."

"Which is saying a lot especially from Evigt," Volteer said. "It's nice to know he cares about you. Now, speaking of the forge, my interest is whirling around like crazy wondering how you make a steel sword. The science and knowledge behind the crafting of the steel are intriguing enough to keep me thinking about it for days, but how is a sword made. Would you mind sharing with an old dragon how such a magnificent weapon is made?"

Tango smirked, his cheeks blushing from the high praise. "I'd be happy to share; now where do I begin…?"

* * *

The remainder of the daylight had dragged itself into darkness by the time Tango left the training arena. Their back and forth talk about the forge had lasted a lot longer than he had expected. Mainly because Volteer pressed him with many questions to which Tango answered diligently. It was when he conceded his lecture of the process of sword crafting when the Guardian insisted that it was late and that it was time to settle in for the night. Tango's eyelids felt weighted, and his feet seemed like they were made of lead. Each step was feeling more and more costly on whatever energy he had left in his system.

Master Volteer had walked with him for a while maintaining a constant state of silence between them, knowing that the last couple of hours had been strenuous on the young dragon. Tango was happy not to hear his teacher speaking for once, enjoying the lushness of the night. Only when the street parted into two distinct directions did Master Volteer share small words with him, coming to a complete stop.

"I guess this is where we go our separate ways," Volteer muttered quietly. "Are you sure you don't need me to walk you home?"

"I'm sure," Tango nodded his head, appreciating the kind gesture. "I've had a long and rather disappointing day…what I need is a moment by myself, allow my mind to settle and to try and wrap my thoughts around what happened today honestly. I've accepted that there is something wrong with me, but….it's still hard to believe." He took in a deep lungful. "But I do sincerely appreciate all that you've done for me today. I imagine that this can't be very easy for you, dealing with overly emotional younglings."

Volteer repressed a laugh. "It never gets easier, but I've learned to cope with it. Besides, your mother and father gave me plenty of practice when they were your age. Up until your sister was born, it was 'Master this' or 'Master that' and I swear I had it up to my horns with those two. But I never gave up on them, so I'll never give up on you. Anything you desire, anything at all, I'll be there for you. You have my word."

"Thank you, Master," Tango smirked. "For everything. Being my teacher, helping me through these hardships, and just being there for me."

"You're welcome, Tango," Volteer replied, slightly bowing his head. "You should run along home before your parents begin to worry. I'd rather get through council meetings without being beaned in the head by your mother."

Tango shrugged. "If only you knew the kinds of things she does to my father, you might prefer being beaned in the head. I love my mom, always will, but she is someone I dare not to trifle with both when playing around or being serious."

"Mothers have that effect on just about everyone and everything," Volteer cackled. "Anyway, you get on home and get some rest. We'll pick up your training another time once you've figured out how to control your fear of history, and I don't mean Professor Aurian's class, the stupid old fool. Give your parents my best regards and I hope to see you in a more cheerful mood when I see you in class tomorrow."

"More cheerful, less droopy," Tango added, his tone playful. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Rest easy and may the Ancestors watch over you," Volteer said as he lumbered off in the direction of home, disappearing around a distant corner, leaving Tango alone on the empty, desolate street.

"May they watch over us all," Tango whispered.

The electric drake began pacing down the opposite street and felt the relaxation of walking down lonely road ease over his body like a blanket. He locked himself out of his ever-growing negative thoughts before they consumed him in a shroud of darkness. The last couple of hours had been a hard, stressful time for him. Sharing his exact problems with Master Volteer felt nice to get off of his chest, but he sensed that he might have set off a chain reaction of more grief that was soon to come.

But this time alone was not meant for evil thoughts. It was Tango's chance to savor the peace, mind a few chirps of the occasional cricket. Tango slowed his pace to a casual stroll, opting to take a long way home despite feeling a burning fire in his lungs and massive strain in his legs and shoulders. He was used to this discomfort, but it never got easier to bear.

"I'm going to be sore tomorrow," Tango cringed, tilting his head in an attempt to dislodge the massive kinks in his neck. He pinched a nerve before even coming close, leaving a firm pressure that was likely to irritate him for the rest of his walk home. Swallowing his dissatisfaction, the yellow glanced around the street, an etched look of disappointment across his features.

Tango ultimately gave up his feeble attempts to pop the bones throughout his body, leaving him slightly sour. Sighing his annoyance, he progressed his way towards home. The quiet cobblestone streets felt soothing beneath his feet as he walked, filling his muscles with a sense of easing despite their tight, uncomfortable nature.

He ambled on until he found himself standing in the middle of an intersection with multiple paths and streets, each lit by a pair of bright sunstone lamps. Tango knew which one took him in the direction of home, but in spite of feeling all things exhausted, he decided to spend a few moments in one of Warfang's many gardens. If he was lucky, he didn't intend to be alone for very long.

 _Ancestors pray that she is here,_ He thought to himself, hoping the ones above heard his silent hopes.

The electric drake stepped into a botanical garden surrounded by a high, stone wall. The soil beneath his paws felt damp and the air smelt swampy and dense. It was calming to him how the gardens made him think. The overall atmosphere teemed with life and grace. He padded along the wettened soil path digging his claws into the soft, compacted dirt with each gentle step.

The gentle noise of a nearby waterfall filled his ear frills, drawing his attention in the direction of probably one of the prettiest sites in what he believed was the most beautiful garden in the entire city. It almost reminded him of his views from his outcropping in the Whispering Wilds without the peril and danger as well as a setting sun. Something he had wished of seeing once more under better circumstances in a time where he felt able to defend himself. But until that day, he was forced to dwell on the fragmented images in his head. Tango returned his gaze towards the spectacle that lay in front of him.

His bright blue eyes aimed their pupils in the direction of a single low sitting tree, its branches spread outwards instead of towards the sky, hanging within an arm's reach. Tendril thin vines surrounded the outside of the canopy like a sheer, green curtain. As Tango got closer, he saw a small arching bridge making the leap from his soil path to the little grass island on the other side where the tree sat high and mighty. The vines are cutting the deck entirely in half, maintaining a sense that the blind of grapes was a portal between two realms. Tango approached the bridge, stopping just short of the dark, wood structure, his claws mere millimeters from touching.

The trickling of the ever-flowing stream filled his ears as he peered across the bridge, taking in the beauty of the oak wood tree covered in different shades and layers of lichen and moss. But his eyes were not intended to stare at the bright moss on a tree, but at the mesmerizing gorgeousness of a red dragoness sitting upon a light-colored granite bench, her back toward him. His heart lurched in delight, knowing that he was going to spend the next few precious moments with the one he loved most. And to his amazement, she hadn't noticed him staring her.

With patient, slow movements, Tango crept up the arcing point of the bridge coming close to breaking the separation of vines between him and Kyza. As he poked his head through the long green tendrils, he held his breath not wanting to make her aware of his presence. His heart fluttered faster in his chest as he finally could make out her distinct features more clearly. Her lithe, muscled body sent shudders up his spine as he took in every square inch of her frame, doing his best to not drool like a dragonling. He allowed himself to be entirely consumed by the cocoon of vines formed around the tree, finally taking his first steps on the small island.

Tango took light and quick steps, taking cover behind the lichen-covered tree. He pressed himself tightly against the wood, the bark of the trunk digging at his scales. He screwed his mouth like a couple of scales pried up enough to pinch at the nerve endings broadsiding him with a relentless stinging sensation. He subdued a screech brewing in his throat as he peered around the tree, hoping Kyza didn't hear him. As he moved his gaze past the tree, he saw that she still sat calmly and collected her tail resting on the bench next to her, and her body in a humble, tranquil posture.

He walked up to her with his chest barely off the ground, approaching like a predator stalking up to its prey, his muscles ready to pounce in less than a heartbeat. But he didn't have the intention of scaring her, but to make his presence known. With a swift, gentle motion, he reared up onto his hind legs and wrapped his arms around her and heaved her back.

Kyza let out a gasp of surprise as she landed on her attacker. Rolling over in place, she found herself laying on top of her love, Tango. The instant she looked into his dreamy blue eyes, she melted in place. "It's about time you showed up," she said affectionately, nuzzling his face and neck. "I've missed you."

Tango returned the nuzzle, holding her tightly to him. "I've missed you too. My thoughts have been about nothing but you all day. It feels like it has been a thousand years since I've seen you."

Kyza smiled at him, pressing her cheek against his face. "You saw me earlier today silly. That must count for something."

"It does," Tango admitted, followed by a sigh. "But these are the moments that I miss most. When it is just the two of us in our special places sharing these beautiful moments. Not a day goes by where I don't think about our last meeting, and so on for the next one. The long waits where I don't get to hold you hurt the most."

"I know," Kyza said knowingly. "I sense your heartbreak when we see each other in the halls, and it pains me to have to walk by without making you feel better. I yearn to be in your loving embrace every I time I lay eyes on you. It makes me happy to know you miss being with me as much as I miss being with you."

"I don't think I could live in a world where you are anything but happy," Tango said wholeheartedly. "If I ever saw anything wrong with my sweet, beautiful fire, I'd move heaven and earth to make things right. You deserve the right to be happy."

"I'm already content with my life," Kyza breathed. "And all because of you, I have found more reason to enjoy opening my eyes, knowing that I will get a chance to spend a portion of my day with the most handsome drake in the entire world."

Tango smirked. "You do bring out the best of me. Even on the days where my levels of enthusiasm have felt like they've been cut open."

His words forced a look of concern to cover Kyza's face. "What's wrong? Did something happen today?"

He shrugged pitifully. "I'm still struggling with my power, even Master Volteer practically refuses to help me unless I get my parents involved."

Kyza sighed as she pushed herself off of him, allowing Tango to move to a laying position. The red dragoness nestled herself against his side, leaning into him and resting her head in his shoulder. "And you think this is a bad thing?"

Tango nodded. "I do because I don't know what my parents will say to me. I'm worried that they'll be upset that I've kept this from them for as long as I have. But Master Volteer insists I should go through with it as I might find the closure I've been searching for. An escape from the past that I no longer wish to burden myself with. I've grown fearful of what I may have to face in battle, and my history keeps getting in the way of my training."

The red dragoness interlocked her paw with one of his, looking directly into his eyes. "I know that what you went through all those years ago has had horrible effects on your life today, and it scares me to think that I could have been in your position. But you're here now in the amazing city of Warfang surrounded by people that know who you are and sympathize you. And with that sympathy comes great admiration and recognition of your bravery and resilience against unfavorable odds. And out of all the wonderful families that could have found you, you were blessed to be rescued and adopted by the Spyro family. A name that will live on for thousands of years. I may not have had the pleasure of meeting your parents personally, but if what I'm told is true, they will help you find the peace you are seeking."

Tango gave a weak smile, holding her paw tight as he draped a wing over her. "Master Volteer told me something similar. That I may come to learn that I am not the only one in my household who has had similar problems. That I just need to have faith and ask the right questions. That they might be the light to chase away the darkness."

"Sounds like something he would say," Kyza giggled, hoping to level the eerie, distraught mood. "But what he says has truth to it. You just need to have faith in them and in yourself. You're smart, kind, and always know the right thing to say. It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you."

"Really? I always thought you loved me because you felt great sympathy for me when my father pranked me in front of the school and thought I was going to kill myself, which by the way, is not true whatsoever because I got my father back that evening."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Kyza muttered. "I rescued you because you were a moron and I didn't want to see a moronic, handsome drake freeze to death. But I fell in love with you because you aren't afraid to express your emotions. Normally, a drake is too hard headed and carries no emotions in their veins, which is super weird. I admire that you are willing to cry into a shoulder, share your thoughts and to open your heart to love. Plus, as a bonus, you're adorable. Like a little baby."

Tango's cheeks flushed bright red as he stifled a chuckle.

"Red looks good on you," Kyza smiled brightly as she leaned her head into his neck, closing her eyes. "I want you to promise me you'll talk to your parents. It saddens me to hear of your troubles and not have the power to fix it. Promise me that the next time we see each other, you will have a new sense of peace in your soul."

The electric dragon sighed his acceptance, knowing that she had convinced him to follow through with Master Volteer's requests. "I promise, my love." Kyza looked up at him to which he returned the gesture of looking down at her. She was probably thinking the exact same thing as he was. "Oh, how lucky I am to have you in my life."

And without a moment's hesitation, Tango leaned down and pressed his lips into Kyza's. He felt the longing of her presence fade away at that moment as he passionately kissed her. His day was officially made better by that of the one he loved most. The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Because of Tango, nothing in this world was more important than his sweet, red fire.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for being a great audience and I hope you enjoyed what I have provided. See you next time.**

 **Atlas Out!**


	6. Turmoil Amongst Us

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Turmoil Amongst Us**

* * *

The entirety of the morning sky was plastered with a pale state of grey as the last day of the week came to a slow start. Though it was surprisingly quiet in the streets as the dawn brought nothing but a light rain that filled the chilled air with a thick, fresh scent that imposed a healthy atmosphere of peace and serenity. But Tango had been awake many hours before the slightest bit of sunlight peeked over the distant horizon. Not that there was even a sunrise to watch.

He had been laying in his window long enough that a painter could have commissioned another painting of him – his first portrait being the eye candy to an electric dragoness hatchling. His head rest rested on his forepaws barely shifting with the ever-changing levels of comfort in his jaw. There was no possible way he could feel pure pleasure in his body with the amount of stress coursing through his body.

Tango's eyes drifted freely throughout the surrounding area of the city. The occasional rogue wind was pelting his muzzle with small bullets of rain to which he paid them no mind. He watched citizens dashing for shelter with little interest as he let his mind wander to the more pressing matters.

 _Why haven't I told my parents yet?_

It had been four days since he discovered his real problem with his elemental abilities. Four whole days Tango held himself back in the shadows with his questions. Each attempt to approach his parents became increasingly more challenging, and his hope of seeking the answers to all of his problems seemed like a fairy tale.

Though as the days progressed through the week, the reoccurring question kept making its presence known in Tango's mind. The yellow dragon felt the weight of a thousand suns bearing down on his shoulders making his daily life an even more significant pain in the tail than it needed to be. How he managed to keep his head relatively straight was a mystery to him. But it didn't mean his mood hadn't taken a drastic drop in what Tango considered healthy.

He didn't know what force was keeping him from getting his parents involved. It seemed to be the most straightforward task in the world even a newborn hatchling could accomplish – but not him. His spirits and confidence were lifted the day Master Volteer helped him discover his complication. But he still carried doubts after their session. It made him think of his particular moment with Kyza. How he yearned to be wrapped tightly in Kyza's arms and wings seemed like the most significant pain relief he could feel of, but his promise to her made him dread seeing her again until the task was done.

"Kyza," he said to himself. "Why is this so hard?"

While Master Volteer had requested Tango to disclose his disability to his parents, it was Kyza that made him promise to talk with them. He could remember her pleading eyes like they were branded in his brain. Tango couldn't let her down, but it was halted by his ridiculous fear of asking a fundamental question. He refused to allow something as minimal as a question to hold him down.

But the question came with the weight of the ancestors as their spiritual forms pressed down on his body making him feel smothered. It sparked a fiery irritation in his head, but he couldn't put it towards physical aggression. It was one of his many evils that he couldn't seem to drop.

He kept his temper and overly dramatic emotions under heavy wrap while in class or in the forge. But Tango's home life felt more like a war zone than a place of peace, security, and comfort. It didn't feel right in his heart to act out of character. His mind felt like it was under constant bombardment from an army of mental catapults. Each barrage was feeling worse and worse with each impact, plaguing his mind with negative thoughts and his body with unfavorable emotion.

He felt a pain in his heart that was filled to the brim with regret. Some words had been shared the previous night between him and his sister before both parents had to send them off to their rooms. Tango wished he could erase that part of his life from both of their minds. No one deserved this anger from him, especially his own family. There were brief moments where he almost threw himself into the sky and disappeared for good, but he knew that he couldn't desert the place he belonged.

So he begged his inner conscious of allowing him to stay at home for now. And he liked to think that he was granted this request. But he still mentally prepared himself – or at least tried – for his getaway. Tango wasn't one to quit so quickly, but he knew when a battle was going to be lost.

His time at home was mostly spent in his quarters, where his parents and sister generally left him to his own devices. Only when he needed to relieve his bodies abused nourishment did he choose to abandon the peace of his bedroom. But there were the times where the occasional knock came to the drakes' door, and yet, Tango felt obligated to answer it. However, a more profound force inside of him consistently discouraged from doing so.

He never opened his door to anyone. Even if it were his sister at the door, he wouldn't know how to make it up to her without making a massive, emotional train wreck of himself. But it was an obligation to his sibling that he signed the day they met. Tango wasn't going to allow that to slip by, no matter how much it hurt him inside. But each time the opportunity arose, he never took it.

It was like his heart was made of a fragile stone being chipped away into smaller pieces with what seemed like every decision that he made. It felt like he was making every wrong choice for his mind appeared clouded. Every bit of advice he was told by Volteer and Kyza seemed to be wiped from his memory

His stomach growled as he realized that his body desired sustenance. The yellow felt conflicted about getting up from his position, unsure if it was worth the effort to make a run downstairs to find food, let alone even approach the door.

Tango's stomach rumbled again – this time louder and more extended – leaving an empty hollow feeling in his gut. So, with a heaving sigh, Tango slowly pulled himself into a standing position. The uninterrupted blood flow sent a prickly sensation into the soft spots of his whole body, which he quickly shook out, sighing a massive relief as the discomfort left his frame. He turned sluggishly towards his door, tilting his head methodically from side-to-side as strings of vertebra popped in stiff, yet consistent, unison. He felt his muscles in his thigh and shoulders lock up and unlock in an erotic and tingling fashion. His mouth stretched wide in a gaping yawn as the high levels of sleepiness exited his body.

Taking the necessary precautions of leaving his room, the electric dragon pulled his door open and poked his head out, finding no sign of his family anywhere. He stepped slowly into the hallway feeling his body being shrouded in the cold air that filled his home. Instinct told him to retreat back into the warmth of his bedroom, but Tango knew he needed to get some food first. So, leaving the sanctuary of his room, Tango coaxed his legs to carry him to the kitchen.

He found the rest of the house desolate between his room and the kitchen, opting to take the stairs instead of gliding. It was his goal to make it to and from his destination with no contact. This day was going to be spent as a supernatural being. The morning air chilled his scales, stinging at the nerve endings causing a slight discomfort throughout his body, but Tango paid it no mind as he stepped into the kitchen.

His bright yellow nose immediately filled with the aroma of something searing, making his mouth water profusely and his stomach growls intensely. The inviting and fragrant smell belonged to a large slab of beef spit-roasted over an open flame. It was carefully cooked as the meat began to take on a vibrant brown color. He approached it cautiously, keeping his stomach from taking control of him, as Tango hoped to retrieve a few slices of the tender meal before the owner returned.

The drake's mouth salivated rivers of desire as he reached out to cut his portions carefully, but as his paw was within a few inches of touching, a loud, creaking noise filled his ears. His heart seized as he peered around the meat to see Avala emerge from a door on the opposite side of the room with a wrapped bundle in her jaws. He didn't have much time to think or do anything as she immediately laid eyes on his yellow and grey hide. Tango's scales immediately felt hot and uncomfortable as she just caught him with his paws where they shouldn't belong.

Yet, she carried no expression of anger or annoyance, nor a look of happiness. Avala looked as cold as stone.

Avala set her bundle down and approached him with light paws, stopping a few feet away from him. She didn't even have to say anything to make him feel uncomfortable, but it was the least he deserved for his behavior in the last couple of days. Her gaze pierced his own, and he quickly looked down in shame. He knew what was going to be said and yielded to her willingly.

"Good morning, Tango," Avala said blankly. "Hungry?"

Tango nodded but maintained his beta pose. "Famished."

"Good," Avala said dully. "Because we aren't eating until we set some things straight first."

Tango groaned in annoyance, realizing that his path to being free of starvation was being blocked by the mountain he called a sister, even if she was much smaller than he was in all categories besides authority and probably brain power. He didn't want to talk about what happened last night at all.

"We both said some pretty mean things last night, little brother, but you did some even worse things to me that will not go unanswered," Avala said softly. "You know that we never go to sleep angry with each other."

"I know," Tango whispered. "And I am sorry I didn't say something about it sooner. I was just really frustrated to the point I just fell asleep. Not that I got any sleep to begin with. It was my fault we fought."

"True, but we wouldn't have fought if you hadn't brought this little attitude back with you," Avala snorted. "It's your own fault if I am honest."

Tango scoffed. "And here you go again. Always thinking that it is my fault whenever we argue. Typical Avala, never taking responsibility for her own actions. Seems like you prefer putting the blame on someone else."

"I do nothing of the sort, because it almost always is your fault," Avala jibbed back. "Last night you came home a completely different dragon than the one I have been growing up with over half of my life and you think you can just snap at me with this snarky little temper you seem to carry up so high. No way! You don't just get to act this way whenever you so, please. Not with dad, not with mom, and definitely not with me."

"Whenever I so please," Tango mocked. "You think I enjoy coming home and biting the heads off of everyone that I love. If so, you're wrong. In fact, I hate it!"

"If you hate it so much, why do you come home pissed off at something that you refuse to share? Ever think that we can probably help you?"

"There isn't a day that goes by where I have no one else to turn to but my family," Tango retorted as calmly as his nerves could bear. "But there are times where I am too emotional and angry for my own good that I can't stand to be in anyone else's presence, especially the presence of family. So, when I asked you to leave me alone, and you insist on badgering me, I couldn't stop myself from snapping on you like a steel trap."

"Yes, you could have," Avala doubted. "I know you have more self-control than your body can handle, so I knew you weren't going to do anything more than just snap at me. But even I am wrong sometimes, last night being a prime example."

"An overly nagging sister pretending to be a parent breaks that self-control like a piece of dynamite to a stone wall," Tango said. "Besides, I was already having a bad day before you decided to make it worse."

"Before _I_ decided to make it worse?" Avala demanded. "Do you think I roll out of bed every morning and figure out ways to make your days worse?"

"I think the thought had crossed my mind," he muttered.

Avala growled deep in her throat, restraining herself from lunging at her brother's neck and ripping out the source of his negative tone. "Well I don't," she began. "And regardless of what you think, I knew you were having a bad day from the moment you opened the door. Strolling in with your tail dragging on the ground and your head held so low it may as well have been buried in the dirt. You were miserable, to say the least."

Tango shrugged "And?"

The ice dragoness huffed. "And…..when I see my little brother in a down mood, I can't help but try and help you. Even when you tell me to leave you alone, I keep telling myself, 'No, you aren't quitting now,' and I persist and I persist relentlessly. You would have done the same for me…..you have done the same for me." Her eyes downcast at a past event that still lingered.

"You're not wrong, Avala, I'll give you that much, but if it's a situation I can't handle, I stand well enough away and out of your scales," Tango argued. "That's the difference between you and me. I know when it is going to be a losing battle."

"At least I don't get violent," Avala said, unfazed. "You get pushy when I continue to nag. Not that it ever stops me. I'm still sore from getting shoved into a wall by the way."

Tango clenched his teeth. "I shoved you out of my way because you continued to get on my nerves. But you being tenacious as always got right back into my face. Had that been anyone else, I'd have dug my claws in when I had the chance."

"None of that would have happened if you had of been straightforward with me the first time," she snapped. "And don't threaten me like that. You know you don't mean the things you say. Making idle threats was never your strong suit."

"So, what if I don't?" Tango snapped. "It doesn't mean I won't stop trying to get you to leave me alone when I just want to be in my own space. No matter how hard you pursue answers or how hard you push me, I'm going to evade, cheat, and push back harder by any means necessary. So if you are having hurt feelings because I pushed you into a wall, you have no one to blame but yourself."

The light blue drakaina swallowed heavily. "Maybe I am to blame for my own bumps and bruises, but maybe if we were more open to others, none of this would have happened. None of this should have happened."

Tango sighed. "I don't like saying this, but there have been countless times and opportunities where I could have easily wrapped a paw around your neck and held you to the ground. So many times, I wish I had just done it and gotten it over with…." His last words were spat out in quiet aggression, his eyes blazing.

Avala silently gasped at his words, unsure of whether she wanted to believe him or not. But him acting like this was abnormal beyond what she had ever known. This wasn't her brother standing in front of her, but she did see the way to draw him back out. Knowing the best approach, she immediately let her emotion take over, allowing her eyes to tear and her lip to tremble. Maintaining her upset disposition, she looked up at him with misty eyes.

His eyes were filled with pure rage. Anymore pointless arguing could've set off a chain reaction of anger. Something neither of them really wanted, but his eyes told a whole different story. Avala could see that he was in pain. That something inside of him was really bothering him. But she also saw the immediate regret in his eyes.

Avala knew the look like the back of her paw, and it hurt her, even more, to see her brother behave like this. It wasn't how she wanted them to apologize to each other, but it seemed like the only way.

Taking a shaky breath, she locked her eyes with his. "So that's how it is now, huh? You start having problems in life, and you shut out those who love and take care of you? You did this a couple of days ago, and you let me help you. But now, you shield yourself from the rest of us hoping this will pass by. You make idle threats that I know deep down you don't mean. You wouldn't lay so much as a claw on me."

She paused to take an uncontrolled, raspy deep breath. Her own tactic was getting the best of her for once. It has more meaning than a simple apology. Avala was scared, feeling so helpless to her brother who was fighting an internal battle she would have given everything to help fight.

"I know you're struggling with something. Something inside you is making you hurt, and I don't like being on the sidelines watching you – my only sibling – fight it alone. I want nothing more than to help my little brother. Please, Tango. I beg of you. Tell me what's wrong." Streams of tears gently rolled down her face, leaving her glowing green eyes red and puffy. It didn't take long for her tactic to take effect on the yellow electric dragon.

Tango's gaze immediately softened, seeing his sisters durable will fade to a pained filled sadness. He closed the gap between them, staring down at her smaller frame. He could see now that he was acting like more of a fool than a selfless being. And to make an almost genuine threat against his older, yet smaller, sister was probably the dumbest thing he had ever done. His eyes slowly began to moisten at the thought of him committing such a vile crime.

Taking a paw up to her cheek, he softly wiped the tears from her face gently quieting her crying to a whimper. Tango immediately pulling her into a tight hug, shrouding her with his wings, and gently rubbing his muzzle across her forehead. But he maintained his bearing and didn't allow himself to shed a single tear, no matter how much the urge to cry nagged at his tear ducts. He felt the overwhelming desire to tell her everything right then and there, but something in his gut told him that was a bad idea. Tango held onto his sister for a few more moments, enjoying her embrace, but the desire to let her go made itself known. He released her and collected his thoughts.

"Please tell me, Tango," Avala pleaded, wiping her face and knowing she had him wrapped around her paw. "I can't stand to see you in need of help and not have the ability to do something."

"I know," Tango said, his voice no more than a faint mumble. "You want nothing more than to help me, which is admirable and I love you for it."

"So why do you hide your problems inside when three individuals are always willing to help you? Why can't the best big sister in the world help her only brother?"

"Because not everyone has the answers that I seek or the help that I desperately need," Tango answered, his face pointed to the floor. "You're right about there being something wrong with me, but I fear the answer may not be so simple."

"Well if the answer is a challenging one to figure out, we can do that together," Avala explained, lifting his chin to meet her gaze, which he still chose to avoid. "You shouldn't have to deal with this alone. There are more individuals than I count that can help you, but locking yourself up and lashing out when someone tries to won't help you. Let me help point you in the right direction."

"Believe me, I want nothing more than to tell you," Tango said, finally locking his bright, blue eyes with her green ones. "It's just that...I feel like telling you or anyone for that matter will do me more harm than good."

He knew it was her way to try and make him feel guilty of getting mad at her and it was working, but her making it as blatantly obvious wasn't going to make it easier for her. He did feel troubled in his gut, but Tango knew he wasn't giving in to her demands. At least not yet. But when the time was right, his sister would be the first to know.

Avala sighed heavily, feeling her hold on him lift with ease. "Guess my chances of getting you to talk are slim to none, huh?"

Tango nodded his head, making an attempt at a sly smirk, and failing miserably. "Not at the moment. I just need time, you understand?" His voice was shaky, but it instilled a marginal bit of confidence in him. "Something like this needs to be brought up naturally. I don't want to force it."

"I guess that makes sense," Avala said, realizing this battle was utterly lost. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll do my best to not pester you about this issue. I don't want to become an enemy in your eyes when you need nothing but allies."

"I appreciate it. I am my own worst enemy right now, and I just need to fight it on my own for a little while," Tango breathed, finally feeling relieved. "You'll always be my ally though, forever and always."

A loud bell rang out, signaling the ending of the hour and the birth of the next. Avala turned her head to look at the clock that was affixed to the wall above a series of shelves. Each shelf was filled with mason jars of different herbs and spices, many of which Tango had a keen taste for especially the ones that carried a sweet heat to them.

"Listen, little brother," Avala said gently. "I love you to death. Always have, and while I will respect your wish to stay private, I must beg that you don't keep fighting this battle alone for very long. I've seen what that can do to someone. I don't want you to lose who you are. And that's my little brother."

"I love you too, big sis," Tango shrugged. "And you can't really call me little when I am almost a full head taller than you." That seemed to lighten the mood in the air as both siblings exchanged happy grins.

Avala smiled brightly. "I can do and say as I please whenever I so please because I'm the oldest. And that's final."

"Oh no," Tango shook his head. "You don't get to play the older sibling card on me like that. Besides, the parents always side with the baby of their children and that title just so happens to belong to me. And the baby always gets whatever they want."

Avala rolled her eyes at him. "Oh yeah, the title of baby definitely belongs to you. I'm sure Kyza would love to hear that. Maybe I tell her the next time I see her, let her know that my brother is still an infantile hatchling."

"Is that a threat?" Tango said nervously.

The dragoness leaned in close, keeping her voice to no more than a whisper. "I don't make threats, I make promises." She smirked with an evil look in her eye. "Anyway, I have to go. Feel free to steal my breakfast. I'm sure you know your way around the spice rack to make it how you like it." She rubbed against him as she pushed past, gently swatting him upside the head with her tail as she did.

"Hey, you can't just say that and walk away," Tango said, unfazed by her childish antics. "Do you don't want me to save you some food? All this beef between you and me and you can't even take a little bit of it with you."

Avala stifled a chuckle. "I'll admit you have some sense of humor, but I can't. I seriously have to go or else I'll be late. Gotta tell your girlfriend the news."

"Kyza is not my girlfriend, but don't you dare say anything to her either," Tango threatened halfheartedly. "Where exactly are you going?"

"The nursery," Avala answered as she picked up her pace to the ledge and spread her wings, taking the flight to the ground floor.

Tango was right on her heels. "Why? It's your day off," he said as he landed.

"One of my work friends came to the house last night," Avala said, waking to the front door. "Said that a clutch of eggs started their hatching cycle and they're a couple paws short. Told her that I would be happy to help. Besides, it's babies. Who doesn't want to spend their day off with babies? Little sweet bundles of happiness and joy. But in your case, pouty and anger filled."

"Uh, a lot of people actually," Tango jibbed. "That cuteness of a hatchling brings a lot of responsibility that I am not stable enough to deal with at the moment."

"You're still a hatchling yourself, even if your cuteness has worn off over the years," Avala joked. "But I think in a fair amount of time, you'll be chasing down hatchlings of your own. Maybe I should let Kyza know this bit of news as well. Tango wants to make babies with you is what I'll tell her."

 _Umm, yes, please!_ Tango silently cheered in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to raise a family with Kyza, in maybe a good ten years at least. That would make for a stimulating conversation or fight with Kyza.

"Talk about kicking them while they're down," Tango said, pretending to feel slightly hurt by her words. "Being a father is not even on my mind right now. Let alone relevant to me as an individual. And I too am cute, just in more ways than others." He flashed her the cheesiest smile his maw could muster. _Avala will get her chance to be an aunt one day, just not today_.

Avala smiled "You're such a dork. Besides, you'll have a good mate to take care of your future babies with. Kyza would make a great mother." She winked at him.

"You know I still haven't even talked to her, right?" Tango questioned. "I'm pretty sure making eggs comes a lot further down the line. And who knows, maybe she's really just a crazy dragoness on the inside, like you."

"You're lucky I have other matters to attend to or else I'd drop you on the ground this instant," Avala playfully threatened. "Anyway, the nursery is where I'll be for the rest of the day. Feel free to stop by whenever. I'm sure a certain electric dragoness would like to see you."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Tango sighed, slightly baffled she went from hostile to friendly without missing a beat. "I'm sure little Tess can wait a little while longer to see her so-called idol. Probably best if I wasn't in such a downed state of mind."

"That be preferred," Avala smiled. "She'll fall in love with you regardless. She's pretty good at sneaking through people's more difficult emotions. But seriously, if you keep preventing me from going, I'll freeze your jaws shut."

Tango gulped hesitantly, not wanting to reminisce on a previous occasion where such an incident occurred. He threw up his front paws defensively. "Alright, alright! You got me. I'll stop."

Avala smirked and turned back to the door. She was more than halfway when he called to her one last time. "Hey, Avala?"

"Yes," she responded, her voice slightly agitated.

"Thanks," Tango said meaningfully.

"For what?" Avala asked, poking her head back through the door.

"For trying to help me no matter what I say or do. It's nice to know that you aren't willing to give up so easily on me," Tango explained. "I feel like if anyone can break me out of this metaphorical glass box, it's you."

"You're welcome. Just remember that we can never fight our inner battles alone," Tango's sister said, walking up to Tango and embracing him in a tight hug. "And remember that I'm always here to fight those battles with you. Not for you, but with you."

"I will," Tango replied, giving her one last squeeze. "Now go on, get out of here before you're missed. Go name a baby after me or something."

"I think the world deserves only one Tango at the moment, besides that decision isn't up to me," the ice dragoness beamed a smile at him before turning back to the door. "If you want, I'll have the administration know you might be coming. They don't just let anyone stroll on in the nursery."

"Depending on how the rest of my morning goes, I may just have to take you up on that offer. But please, if you do somehow see Kyza, don't say anything to her. I don't like having my chances ruined."

"I won't," Avala promised. "Besides, I think you have her in the bag already. You just need a little extra coaxing to finally tell her how you feel. Who knows? Maybe she feels the same way."

Avala dipped her head before shutting the door behind her, leaving the young drake to his own devices. His stomach growled ferociously as he immediately felt famished once more. Turning back towards the kitchen, he stretched out his wings and propelled himself in the air. A particular piece of meat was calling his name, begging to be consumed. His sister's final words to him floated in the air around him, making him smile.

"I've already told her, Avala," Tango said to himself. "And she loves me as much as I love her."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm glad with how this turned how even though the whole premise of this chapter was to share the problems my character is having. But I think this chapter turned out alright. A little over the top on emotions again, but I think it was worth it. A little sibling argument can be made for a great chapter right?**

 **Let me know what you think of the story so far. I'd love to hear from you all. And until next time, God bless and take care**

 **Atlas Out!**


	7. Confessions of our Fears

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Confessions of our Fears**

* * *

Feeling like the most substantial weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, Tango let out a massive sigh of relief as he reached up to the spice rack, pulling off a pair of mason jars filled to their brims with cloves and cayenne peppers. The one thing he liked most with his meats were spices that carried a sweet, savory taste with just enough heat to satisfy his taste buds. And he knew how to cook well enough to properly season his food when his parents weren't around to assist him.

"What I would have given up all those years ago to have this spice rack?" Tango smiled, holding the two jars up to his eyes. "They'd have made my life easier."

He chuckled at the thought of trying to survive in the woods where his spices were the only thing keeping him going. It was a little morbid, but in Tango's mind, those were distant memories that he wished were a bit brighter than they turned out to be. It felt they were going to be plaguing him to the point of fear and disability forever. But he knew that the answer was right in front of him.

"The sooner I get this problem figured out, the better," the young dragon murmured.

The yellow drake placed the spice jars on a small table next to the fireplace where the beef was still slowly cooking. He continued to turn the meat on the spit roast occasionally as he began to craft a sauce with the cloves and cayenne and other minimal ingredients. He blended the spices and other pieces almost seamlessly, creating a thicker sauce that took on an inviting red hue. Feeling completely satisfied, Tango dipped a claw into the smooth sauce and licked it with his tongue, humming his approval as his taste buds yearning for more, to which he obliged without question.

"I am a master of spices," Tango sang out proudly as he stared at the masterpiece that was a spicy sweet sauce to smother his breakfast. "And just in time, the food is done with cooking."

Being careful not to burn himself, Tango removed the meat from the spit roast and set it down on a wooden plate on the dining room table. He returned to grab the bowl of spicy goodness and took his seat. The fragrant aroma of the meat alone made his mouth start salivating as he drizzled his spice concoction over his breakfast, not having any concern for over adding his special sauce.

Keeping himself from acting like a complete savage and tearing into the delicacy he finished preparing, Tango took fair sized bites of the meat. Each time the meal touched his tongue, he felt himself tingle with delight, the heat of the sauce tickled at his taste buds, creating a content wave of warmth that spread throughout his mouth, throat, and finally his stomach.

His mother, Cynder, had taught him the ways of the kitchen a few months after Tango became fully settled in his new home. Everything he knew came from her or various cookbooks that the family possessed. Through cooking, Tango found that he bonded with Cynder quicker, making his new life all the more unusual, despite how drastic of a change he had gone through. It was also around this time where he started calling Cynder mother rather than her real name. He reminisced the face she made and the happiness that filled her gaze.

Before those times, Tango very rarely left the family home, only choosing to go anywhere near the dusk and dawn hours when not so many eyes could penetrate his scales. But it was during those times of intentional insolation that he shared the fondest memories. Calling his parents' mother and father for the first time was his favorite because he knew it made them extremely happy to hear their adopted son say those particular words. It made him happy too, knowing he was apart of the family that he had dreamt about since his time in his egg.

Even if they weren't his family by blood.

Tango had learned a valuable lesson from his father about the concept of family, and it was something he carried with him ever since. _"Family isn't always about blood, my son," Spyro had said. "It's about the individuals in your life who want you in their own; the people who accept you for who you are. The ones who would move heaven and earth to see you smile and love you no matter what great challenges life brings. So, I may not have been the one to create you, but I'll be damned if I don't take you under my wing and raise you as my own."_ His father's words hit him right where he needed it to be: the heart.

The titanium yellow dragon finished the meal faster than he would have wanted to, but his stomach had taken some control over his body, forcing him – not that he didn't mind – to complete his only reason for coming to the kitchen: to satisfy the needs of his growing body. And he was happy to go to the conclusion that he accomplished that mission.

But he quickly realized that it also came at a terrible cost.

The cost of the sanity that remained in his mind.

Tango felt the weight of his past rest once more on his shoulders. What he thought had been subdued since Avala had left quickly came undone and flooded his mind with painful memories of the Whispering Wilds and his seven-year sentence there. He felt an immediate sickness in his stomach as he pressed his forehead against the edge of the table. The memories of his past started flashing in his mind and didn't have any reason for stopping, no matter how hard he tried to shut them out. He clenched a fist and proceeded to punch the smooth wood floors, not giving a care in the world for how it felt.

Because the real pain came from within in a swift, decisive blow.

The lightheadedness he felt made him feel hot and yucky as it felt like bile was rising in his throat. His mouth felt dry, and a light ringing sound erupted in his ears which he desperately scratched at, but to no avail, the ringing continued as the terrible memories became clear once more.

Each haunting memory played like a moving picture in his head. All the times where he was attacked, scratched, beaten, bruised, and bitten washed over him like a tsunami of wild, raging emotion that had no reason or intent of stopping soon. Tango felt his heart rate begin to accelerate and his breathing started become inconsistent and labored as it felt like his throat was being squeezed in a vice. His eyes struggled to form tears as the panic attack completely consumed him, making his legs tremble in sheer terror.

It didn't take long for him to collapse from fear as he like he was helpless once more, being attacked by a horrible entity that inhabited the dark, haunting woods that were the Whispering Wilds. It felt like each strike from the evil creatures that lived there were coming back at full force, as though he was just receiving them for the first time once more. Tango curled himself into a tight ball, shielding himself from the mental beating.

He felt so alone and vulnerable in a city of thousands. The electric drake slowly started to let out a pain-filled bawl, each cry for help – which never took the form of actual words – expended the air from his lungs, causing him to gasp for breath with each sad sob. Tango remembered the days where he was still fresh out of the egg; the days he felt like he was the only one on the planet. A little electric dragon hatchling that cried each night, waiting for someone to answer his pleas, but that never came for many years to come. Tango wrapped himself in a tight cocoon with his wings, even if it didn't make much of a difference. Laying on the floor made him feel weak and pathetic, but with how he was feeling, there wasn't a place that he would think of that didn't make him feel that way.

"Tango?" a distant voice called out to him, feminine and familiar. "Is that you?"

 _Mom!_ Tango quickly realized, uncovering his head to see his mother standing on the landing. Her figure only a distorted black and ruby blur as his tear-filled gaze was hazy.

Cynder's expression was clearly evident despite not being able to see her. Her motherly instincts were firing on all cylinders, hunting for the source of the distress filled cries. It didn't take long for her to spot Tango's small form curled up by the table, and it wasn't even half a heartbeat later she was by his side. Her composure was quickly being put to the test as she searched his entire body looking for any signs of injury. But she found that he was clean of injuries and that he was fighting something on the inside. Cynder wrapped her body around him, gently nuzzling his head, trying anything in her power to get him to relax.

"Shhh," she whispered softly. "I've got you now. You don't need to cry anymore."

Tango continued to cry into her chest as she continued to nuzzle him. Her words did feel soothing and feeling her warm body against his scales made him feel increasingly safer. It reminded him of when they first met when he came down with an intense sickness, and she wrapped her body around him to keep him from freezing. He always found that his mother held him in the tightest and warmest embraces. He was relieved to see himself becoming more and more relaxed as Cynder kept whispering reassurances in his ear.

"There we go," Cynder said in a sigh of relief. "That's my little one. Just breathe easy now."

Tango sucked in a deep breath of air, his whole body shuddering as he exhaled slowly. He still quietly sobbed to himself as his mother began to softly knead the back of his head just behind the horns. The poor drake looked up at his mother, seeing the comforting gaze in her emerald green eyes. It filled his body with warmth and reassurance. But he could also know that she knew something was wrong. Something to do with her piercing look instilled within him the urge to let her know about his issues with his power.

Cynder wiped away his tears and helped lay him upright. But Tango still looked distraught as he carried himself in a moping and depressed manner. She pulled him in close, allowing him to lean into her and again feel comfortable. The former Terror of the Skies stared down at him, a new look of worry and interest spread over her features.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Cynder asked tenderly. "I've seen you act strangely before, but I've never seen you have a panic attack. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Tango screwed his eyes shut, pressing his face into his mother's chest. The memories were still playing in his head, striking down any walls of confidence he attempted to build up, making him shed tears once more. He had to tell her now knowing this was starting to escalate further into this abyss of insanity. So, mustering up the inner strength to disclose his problems, he looked up at his mother and nodded. Cynder took the nod seriously and rolled onto her belly, allowing Tango to curl up against her chest. He collected his thoughts, opened his jaws, and let the words flow right like a river.

"For a while, I have been fighting an inner battle that has taken a huge toll on me," Tango began, sniffing his nose and swallowing the huge lump in his throat. "Master Volteer and Avala have pleaded to help me, and I've refused every time. I snapped at Avala because of it, and I guess my problem finally pushed me over the edge."

"Is that why you two were fighting last night? Because your sister was trying to help you and you didn't want it?" Cynder asked confusedly. "Why?"

"Because I believed that I could figure it out for myself," Tango said, his head still downcast. "That I could have it taken care of before having to get anyone involved. I see now that I was very wrong. My pride got the best of me, and now I'm paying for it."

Cynder sighed. "Have you two talked since last night? I hated watching you two quarrel for as long as I did. Wish I had of separated you two sooner."

"You don't have to worry about us," Tango whispered. "I think Avala and I got things sort of figured out before she left for the nursery. Argued at first, but it seemed like we left on a good note. No true solid ground made, but at least we're not mad at each other anymore."

"That's good," Cynder replied. "And there is not a day that goes by where I don't worry about you two. But at least you two aren't fighting anymore. Speaking of which, why did this dispute occur? I asked Avala, and she mentioned that this defensive behavior of yours started the same day you met with Master Volteer for training."

"I realized after talking with Avala this morning how inappropriate my behavior was and realizing how much help I need. And that so-called training with Master Volteer earlier this week wasn't even a training session at all," Tango admitted with a bit of relief. "It was an assessment."

"An assessment of what exactly?" Cynder said slowly. "When he informed your father and I that he wanted to give you a personal lesson, he seemed sort of…..different from how he usually is. I just assumed he was trying to contain his excitement differently. It was foreign to me to hear him talk slowly and calmly.

"Believe me, the entire time he spoke in a relaxed tone," Tango added. "It was weird seeing someone I've grown up with and become excellent friends with change character like they were flipping a switch."

"I'm sure it was, but you two are like peas in a pod, and he cares about you enough to know when it's time to be a different kind of friend," Cynder explained. "He was a completely different kind of mentor when your sister's egg came into our lives. The time of peace has changed him dramatically, but he always means well."

"What was Master Volteer like before the war ended?" Tango asked, looking up curiously at his mother.

"It's nice to see you taking such an interest. It means you've relaxed," Cynder beamed a bright smile followed by a simple chuckle. "But that is a topic for another time. Right now, I think we have more pressing matters to talk about. Can I get a raincheck on that for now? I promise when we get this sorted out – if you're still interested – we can talk about it in a better setting."

Tango sighed pitifully but nodded his agreement.

"Good," Cynder said, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. "So what exactly did Master Volteer assess?"

"He wanted to assess my abilities with my power because…..," Tango droned off, pausing to finally realize that the truth was only a few smartly placed words away.

"Because of what?" Cynder pressed gently. "Sweetheart, I want to help you, but I can't do that if you stay locked up like this."

Tango bit his lip – not wanting to look his mother in the eye – and took a deep breath. "Because I've been falling behind in my elemental class…..I can't keep up with my classmates. I'm not consistent, no strong base and my forms are nonexistent. I'm…..I'm…." He felt his mother wrap her arms around him, squeezing him tightly, her sympathy dripping off her body like sweat. His eyes started to water, and his quiet sobs filled the surrounding air.

"I'm so sorry," he cried into her arms. "I shouldn't have kept this to myself for so long."

"Why didn't you tell us you were having trouble sooner, Tango?" Cynder pleaded. "Your father and I could've helped you. We could've fixed this issue easily."

"I know…..It was something that I've meant to tell you for a long time, but…..I've just been so scared," Tango choked up, swallowing his pride heavily. "When it first started, I wanted to tell you and Dad so badly it was eating chunks off of me, but I didn't. In fact, I told myself that I shouldn't."

"Why?" Cynder asked curiously. "

Tango sighed. "Because I believed that if I told you, it would make matters worse. That you and Dad would be angry with me for hiding my problems instead of sharing it. I didn't want to disappoint you guys and bring you shame. I may be your son, but many people still see me like a wild dragon that doesn't belong here."

"No one in their right mind believes that, Tango," Cynder reassured. "And you shouldn't either. Not a lot of people can comprehend the times you went through and the many troubles you've faced against unfavorable odds. And no matter what you do regarding this problem, no shame or dishonor will come from it. You and Avala make your father and me proud every second of every day."

Tango looked up at her and smirked at the praise before leaning into her chest, hearing her gentle heartbeat and the gentle rise and fall of her healthy lungs. He closed his eyes, allowing the basic sounds and movements of his mother to relax him.

She was softly massaging the multitude of scars on his young body. "I've always admired your scars. Reminds me how much of a fighter you are. You know that most people in this city have lived their entire lives without leaving it? Meaning many of them have lived a full life without so much as a scratch on their body. You, however, have more scars on your own body than most young dragons your age, even a lot of the elder dragons are completely unscathed."

"What do my scars have to do with my inability to conjure simple electricity?"

"Your scars are a reminder of your past. A past you shouldn't forget, but move on from. If you let people see that it gets to you, your past is going to drag you down further than you want to go," Cynder explained. "Now I've had you in my life for the past ten years. Ten years I wouldn't trade for all the riches in the world. I thought life was perfect when Avala was born, but I realized I was wrong the day I held you for the first time."

"The day that changed my life for the better," Tango said, taking to his feet to sit in front of his mother, his eyes downcast. "But….I'm afraid the past has finally come back to get me."

"How so?"

"I've been having flashbacks of where I was born," Tango admitted. "Vivid, crystal clear and utterly terrifying flashbacks. I see things that aren't there, and I'm losing more sleep than I can gain. I'm acting up more and more and today was when it finally got the best of me. I've…I've never felt more scared in my life than how I just felt."

"How long has this been going on?" Cynder asked, her voice clearly filled with concern.

"Nightmares have never left me since I was born and flashbacks and now panic attacks have been going on for a couple months. I don't know what triggered them, but they haven't been getting better. Part of…," he paused, feeling like he was suffocating. "Part of me hasn't left the Whispering Wilds yet, and it has left a permanent mark in my mind, and it scares me."

"You don't have to be scared anymore because I will be with you every step of the way," Cynder reassured, holding him in a firm hug and wrapping her wings to completely shroud him with a sense of security. "I've been in your position before. Where I felt so helpless not even those I loved could help me. Where the sins of my past continued to haunt my dreams, making me feel like I was still a bad person. And instead of seeking help, I ran away from those I knew I could trust, hoping I would find my answers elsewhere."

"Did you ever find it?" Tango asked quietly.

"I never found the answer I thought I had to go to the ends of the earth to find," Cynder said shaking her head. "But I realized after being trapped in a time stone for three years, my true answer was by my side for every second of it. And I have had nothing but a happy life ever since. The nightmares, the hate, and frustrations have all gone away, and many families of unfortunate victims have forgiven me for what I did. I just had to put more faith in the one I loved most."

"Dad," Tango breathed.

Cynder dipped her head. "He has a certain persistence and a peaceful way with words where even those who doubt him have to take a second to think because how he says things can hit you just right. I can't tell you how many times I've lost an argument with him just because he said the right words at the right time. I start stuttering like a cowardly ape, and then he dares to make fun of me for it. Your father may be an adult, but he still has the heart and mind of a child."

"But you love him," Tango smirked. "I noticed that when I first met you two. I wasn't familiar with the concept of love at the time, but I figured it out immediately when you looked at each other. There was also a high level of trust I sensed as well. I knew that you were both genuine when you said you weren't going to hurt me."

"Do you still trust us?"

"I've always trusted you two," Tango replied. "You're my parents after all."

"So why hide your power issue from us if you trust us?" Cynder asked. "Your father can tutor you here at home. Make you faster, stronger, balanced, and conservative while simultaneously getting rid of the bad memories that clearly still bother you. We can get Master Volteer on board as well as your power training instructor, Professor Sygra. The four of us can create a training routine that suits your style while we conquer that darker parts of your mind, getting rid of all the unwanted thoughts and memories."

"You'd do that…..for me," Tango spoke slowly.

Cynder smirked lovingly at him. "Your father and I would climb the highest peaks of the coldest mountains or cross the depths of the deepest seas or pull the entire world back together again for you and Avala. Because we love you more than anything else in this world and would never allow ourselves to let any of our children – or any child for that matter – fail because we wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch."

"And we'd do it without skipping a beat," came a new voice.

Tango snapped his gaze in the direction of the all too familiar masculine voice to see his father sitting out on the landing platform. His gaze brought a sheer amount of reassurance that could have easily suffocated all of them, and they also brought a considerable promise. Tango watched his dad approach with powerful, yet casual, strides and lay down opposite of his mother, putting the little yellow drake in the loving surroundings of his parents.

"How long were you standing there?"

"The entire time," Spyro answered. "We were on our way down when we heard you cry out. You gave us both quite a scare. Glad you've calmed down now."

"Me too," Tango breathed. "I'm sorry I frightened you. Didn't have much control over it."

Spyro reached out and pulled Tango to him, hugging him tightly. "I love you, son," the legendary purple dragon spoke softly. "You are everything that I wanted in a child, and I didn't even create you, but I can thank the ancestors for leading your mother and I to you on that day. Taking you in reminded me of when we brought Avala home from the nursery for the first time. And watching you two grow up together over the past decade has made me the happiest dragon in the world. But it saddens me to hear that you think we'd be angry at you for keeping information from us."

Tango immediately looked down in shame, not wanting the conversation to go this way. He shifted away from his father, sitting an equal distance between both of his parents. "Are you angry?"

"No, I'm more upset than I am angry," Spyro answered calmly. "Because finding out that one of my many joys of the world is having a problem with his power right under my nose without me knowing about it makes me feel completely powerless."

"I'm sorry. I've wanted to say something for so long, but I was just scared of creating a bigger monster by telling you two," Tango mumbled, looking back and forth between the two adult dragons. "I still am scared."

The yellow drake felt both of his parents nuzzle him gently from either side of his face, rubbing their muzzles across the entire length of his head in gentle waves. Tango rubbed his head against theirs, letting himself cry one more time. They shifted closer to him, wrapping their arms around him, holding Tango in the tightest, warmest embrace. Even though he was no stranger to crying, Tango still felt this round of tears were the most wholesome and relieving. And now he had done it. His parents knew about the problems he was facing and were on his side to help him fight it.

They held the position for a few more minutes in complete silence, letting Tango cry entirely out all the tears, before releasing him. The little yellow laid against his mother's chest, allowing Cynder to cradle him with her arms. Both parents leaned in close to him, their gazes misty with bits of sadness and relief, and gingerly kissed him on the forehead.

"Like your mother said earlier," Spyro spoke quietly. "We'll do anything for you and your sister. We're not sidelining parents, and we never will be as long as you live. We will always be on your side and always have your back through any endeavors you want to pursue or problems you need to fix. You just have to put more faith in our abilities because we know what we are doing. We've had some of the greatest mentors in our years that helped shape us into who we are today, and we take their teachings and use them to raise your sister and you."

"But we can't do that if we aren't honest with each other," Cynder added, adjusting her hold on her child. "You're one of our pride of joy, and I hate to see you hide your fears inside your mind. Watching you have a panic attack made me more scared than I have ever been in my entire life. It's just that little bit of faith and trust you need to have in us so that we can help you fight this problem."

"Does that make sense, son?" Spyro asked.

Tango nodded, wiping his face clear of any tears and streaks. "It does make sense, and I'm glad that you two finally know about this. Not the way I had hoped, but the truth is finally out. I feel like I've been on rock bottom for so long now that I almost feel like I'm actually drowning in fear. It makes me wonder how bad that panic attack could have gotten if mom hadn't shown up to calm me down."

"Avala used to have silly little nightmares when she was barely crossing her one year mark," Cynder began. "Would wake up in the night crying or screaming, and your father and I took turns trying to calm her down."

Spyro chuckled. "Nothing ever seemed to work for a while, and a lot of sleep was lost for the two of us. Avala slept with us for nearly a year and still would wake up every few nights. Took me hours to get her to fall back asleep because she was simply too scared to fall back asleep."

"Until one day, I just started cradling her," Cynder said. "Slowly rocking her back and forth, nuzzling her, reassuring kisses on the cheeks, and whispering gently into her ears until she fell right back to sleep. Worked every single time. Only had to stay awake for no more than an hour."

"Nightmares started occurring less and less, and soon she was back in her own room sleeping each night without a single fuss," Spyro shrugged. "And just like that, we figured out how to relax her when she was upset. Still works too."

"I'll be honest, I am completely relaxed right now," Tango sighed. "I feel warm and comfortable and almost a little drowsy. Even if it is a little weird now that Avala and I both pubescent young dragons, yet we still feel like hatchlings when you cradle us like this."

"No matter how tough or old we are, nothing comforts a dragon more than an embrace from a loved one," Cynder spoke quietly. "It's like a pure refreshment of the soul and mind, making all the undesired thoughts disappear. It worked with your sister, and it will work for you too. Besides, I know that deep down, you both really like this because it helps you fall asleep."

"Does Avala still ask you to hold her like this?" Tango asked, a slightly evil, yet playful, a grin across his features.

Cynder laughed. "Sometimes when she is having a tough time sleeping she'll ask to be put to bed. But she doesn't do it as often anymore mainly because she has started to grow out of it. And don't be getting any devilish ideas about making fun of her for it either. That stays inside this house and never leaves it ever."

"I wasn't going to say anything, I promise," Tango said innocently. "I was actually going to ask if you'd help me fall asleep. After fighting with her last night, I barely slept because I felt guilty for pushing her like I did. Also because she and I never go to sleep angry with each other, so I only got about an hour or two of inconsistent sleep. Woke up a few hours before the sun even came up and I've been up ever since."

Cynder chuckled deep in her throat, kissing Tango on the cheek. "After all that's happened, I'll even carry you up to your room and stay with you until you wake up. Gives me a perfect excuse to sleep with one of my babies again after so many years. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Getting rocked to sleep, carried up to my room, curled up against a warm belly, and finally having the truth off my shoulders," Tango listed off, implying his consent. "Sounds like a decent portion of the day to me. What about Dad?"

"I have some business with the Guardians and the Council to take care of," Spyro chimed in immediately. "So I will be gone for a good majority of the day. Meaning I'll be working while you lucky pair gets to sleep in peace. But you honestly deserve it after that little panic attack. Let your mind relax and rest. We can discuss the issue later, but for now, you can get some sleep. I'll see you both later." With that, Spyro kissed his mate and left the mother and child to their own devices.

Tango yawned widely before rolling into Cynder's chest and closing his eyes, allowing the gentle rocking motion of his mother's arms coax his body into a comfortable slumber of security. Her breathing and refreshing scent on her crimson chest scales numbed his entire body as he finally drifted into a blissful sleep. His mind held a brand new light to it as his mother kissed him one last time before carrying him to his room.

He felt like a brand new dragon. Only this time he had a new goal in mind. To beat the nightmares and rid his memory of the sins of his horrific past with the help of his family. And this time, Tango was going to win.

* * *

 **A/N: Pretty quick update, the chapter plan was already written out, and I just had to motivate myself to actually write it. I tried my best implementing Cynder and Spyro and I believe I did alright.**

 **Side note: I'm an avid gamer and really would love to chat and play games with anyone that is interested. My details are on my profile page if you're interested.**

 **Thanks for liking my story! It's getting a lot more favorites and follows than I had originally expected it to and I am more than psyched about it. I'm hoping to break 50 favorites and follows by the time I hit chapter 10, but I'm not getting my hopes too high just yet. But in all reality, I like reviews just as much as I do a favorite or a follow, probably even more if I am being completely honest.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a comment telling me how I did.**

 **See you all in the next one!**

 **Atlas Out!**


	8. The Trust You Give

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 7**

 **The Trust You Give**

* * *

Peace

Given his present situation, it was a feeling that Tango never thought that he would achieve in his entire life. But somehow, by some act of the ancestors or by the pure luck of the draw, he discovered his true inner self and relished every second of its newfound existence. Seeing the world in a whole new light without the fear of looking over his shoulder and seeing the paranormal entities of his past staring back at him. His imagination could now see the beauty in the lands that he was blessed to live in and call home.

He started leaving the house more and more often, wandering the cobblestone streets of the city, especially the merchant and trade districts, finding new items to craft his sculptures from and interacting with the local populace. And his daily life had been changed drastically for good. Tango enjoyed being amongst the people he used to dread to lay his very blue eyes on, finally feeling as though he was opening his eyes for the very first time.

But while his days spent with his eyes open were getting exponentially better, the times where he rested his teal blue orbs brought back the evils of the Whispering Wilds once more. The fear he felt in his dreams spread like cancer, infecting his mind with devastating nightmares that launched him back into consciousness in pools of his own sweat and occasionally the innards of a bed cushion. It made what felt like a peaceful, uneventful night into a chapter out of a horror novel.

There had been many occasions where Spyro and Cynder would wake to find Tango sleeping with them, the yellow drake curled up against his mothers flank in a deep, relaxed sleep. It was a regular occurrence for Tango to sneak into their room to rest peacefully and they didn't discourage him from coming. Cynder had missed having her children sleep with her and loved having him lay against her belly once more, even though Tango's reasons were sad. On some mornings, Spyro and Cynder wouldn't find Tango sleeping against their warm bodies, leading them to investigate his bedroom hoping he would be resting in peace, only to find a sight they never believed they would see again.

A lovely sight.

They would find Avala laying beside her brother, draping a wing over his body and resting her head over his neck. The two of them in a comfortable embrace of quiet kinship, making the other feel safe in the presence of a sibling. The two parents would chuckle at sight due to Avala being much smaller than her younger brother, her wings only covering a little more than half of his body. Cynder would approach them with light feet and lay beside the siblings, pulling her children close to her, and waiting with them until they woke up, often times not opening their eyes for at least another hour.

Spyro would stay and admire the yellow drake's collection of crafts and sculptures he had made over the last decade, enjoying the sight of each as though he was seeing them for the first time. The purple dragon also fiddled with the weapons that adorned his son's wall, silently wielding them and jabbing at make-believe targets before returning them to their rightful place. His mate would tell him to stop and make him leave to start making breakfast, which he would respond by putting up a false fit and fuss before respectfully walking out the door, leaving the mother to tend to her young.

Avala would generally rise first, being the first to see her mother laying with them, and feeling the warmth that her body brought to counter the chilled air that drifted from the large window in Tango's room. She was gentle with her movements, not wanting to disturb her sleeping brother, as she stood up to nuzzle Cynder's face and stretch her muscles. But the ice dragoness would never leave to either help her father cook or disappear for the day. She would stay and wait for her brother to wake up just to make sure he didn't have another episode. A promise she had vowed to keep.

She had learned of his panic attack the same day it had happened and immediately took the blame upon herself, claiming if she had of kept her tongue it wouldn't have occurred. Receiving the news took a heavy toll on Avala, knowing that it happened mere minutes after she had left for work. It took many hours of convincing to change her mind otherwise, but she still used caution when making conversation. Yet, anytime she was home, she was practically glued to his side. An uncommon sight became a normal part of life within a matter of a day.

Despite the circumstances, Tango was more than content to have his sister by his side each and every day. She was already an integral part of his everyday lifestyle, but actually getting to sit back and relax in the company of his sibling was almost a rare occurrence. Mainly because they were both still in school and involved in some form of work that followed. But there were the occasional days where there was neither the school nor work to be done.

And today had been that day.

The sun had just begun to peak over the horizon when Tango and Avala walked out the front door, bathing the cobblestone paths in a bright yellow glow as the dawn sun fully rose over the far horizon. The morning air came at them thick, heavy, cold, and refreshing the moment they left their home, filling their lungs full of relief and shaking loose any lingering sleepiness. It had been a rough night for Tango, waking up twice with nightmares, and losing a couple hours of sleep because of it. Despite all that had happened, the sun still felt terrific against his scales.

The yellow drake was fully awake now, even if his body felt fatigued as his shoulders struggled to stay lifted. He yawned deeply, casing his gaze over at his sister, who walked close to him. He could see the light bagginess under her eyes, and the way she carried herself screamed lack of sleep. The usually bright and cheery dragoness looked like a zombie from the grave.

"Are you doing alright, Avala?" Tango asked, his voice no higher than a mumble. "You haven't said so much as a word since we woke up. Something on your mind?"

The ice blue dragoness peered over at him, shaking her head in response. "Sorry, I'm a little silent at the moment. My body is awake, but my mind is still trying to catch up."

"I didn't keep you up too long last night, did I? If so, I am sorry," Tango sympathized. "I'm doing my best to shake these horrible dreams, but they have a vice-like grip on my mind. But nevertheless, I don't want you losing sleep over me."

"I know you are trying, which goes without saying." Avala took a deep breath and shook her head. "It's not your fault though, little brother. I made the decision to stay with you at night so you can let your mind rest. And I will continue to help you sleep until you don't need me anymore. I'll be okay, I promise."

"I know you'll be okay. But you worry me by not taking a night to yourself," Tango shifted next to her and nudged her gently. "It's only a flight of stairs between my room and the parent's room."

"But it's also only a thirty-foot wide hallway from my door to yours," Avala argued. "Besides, when I can tell my little brother needs me it is my duty as the older sister to answer his calls."

"And I appreciate it tremendously, but you're hurting yourself in a way by constantly laying awake at night with me while I try to get my thoughts to settle. I just care about your well being a little more than I do my own. It's a hard thing to swallow knowing my sister is losing as much sleep as I am, if not more. It's not fair of me to make you miss out on your rest," Tango sympathized.

"I told you that I know what I am getting myself into, Tango," Avala reassured. "I didn't take the time to think about myself when I decided to spend the night in your room. All I thought about was letting my little brother have that paw to hold when he felt alone because I've been in the same position before. Besides, I'm practically conditioned to less sleep, even if it doesn't seem like it."

"Still though," Tango added. "It wouldn't kill you to let mom and dad take some of the load as well. In fact, by the time I am walking through their door, my mind is at ease, and I can curl up against them and am fast asleep within a matter of minutes. They hardly notice I am there until they wake up in the morning."

"So, you're saying my way isn't effective?" Avala questioned, her voice stern with a minor offense to his words. "That I am doing this to myself by helping you. What exactly are you implying?"

"I didn't mean it like that, Avala. I just want you to sleep soundly every once and a while, not worrying about me," Tango said, doing his best to de-escalate. "All I am trying to imply is that on some nights let me try to figure it out on my own because if I am conditioned to having someone else fix _my_ problem, I don't achieve anything. I basically become a bigger dependent than I already am. The best way for me to escape my problems is by leaving me to my own devices to solve them on my own."

"And what if you can't solve them?" she asked. "Knowing your own mind is literally the solution, you know that right?"

"I do," Tango replied. "I've known my mind my whole life, it didn't just appear out of the blue one morning. I know it likes to cause trouble and if the host can't solve his problems, then and only then, will the master find a better solution."

"What you had been doing for a while was increasing the distance between the solution and the problem by shutting us out of your life," Avala contended. "Clearly doing it on your own is not the solution. Which is why you need the parents and me more than ever. You had a panic attack two weeks ago."

"I know I did, but you can't force change on me," Tango countered, his voice hard and with a sharp edge. "These things they take time, and they like to take a lot of it. I'm still getting used to all of you worrying about me every five seconds. Telling you all about my problems was the first of many stepping stones, which by the way I am doing alright at the moment. Just thought I'd let you know. Still, have some bad thoughts in my head, but at least I am not suffering from constant panic attacks."

"Where would you be if we all didn't worry about you? How far would you have made it on your own?" Avala challenged. "Because to me, you wouldn't have lasted another week, let alone a day."

"Have you ever been trapped in your own mind before? Because I have," Tango began, turning on her and advancing slowly, his voice low and cold. "The moment my panic attack set in, I became consumed by my own head. I was literally trapped! I began seeing creatures of my past and the horrible things they did to me. I could feel their claws tear into my flesh and yet, I endured each attack. One right after the other like clockwork. So, don't tell me how long you think I'd last! Because you know nothing!"

Avala averted his gaze, realizing she was in the wrong but didn't hesitate to respond. "You're right, I don't know anything, but that doesn't mean I won't stop worrying about you. I've told you that once and I'll tell you that a thousand times over."

Tango swallowed heavily, clearing his throat. "I know, and I'm sorry for the sudden outburst. This whole situation is just frustrating me. Mainly because it took me too long to realize that the help I've needed lived thirty feet across a hallway."

"Or up a flight of stairs," Avala added, smiling fondly at him. "Took you a while to figure that simple puzzle out."

"Indeed it did," Tango said. "And when I find the answer I am looking for, you'll be among the first to know."

"Good to hear," Avala said, rolling her eyes at him. "And if it makes you happier, I'll do my hardest to let you discover answers on your own, but don't expect me to stop being a good big sister. Believe me, when I say it, every one of your issues has a solution. Even if it takes days, months, or even years to find, I will be there with you when you do."

"If anyone ever tells you that you'd make a great mother, I'd probably be the first one to agree with them," Tango said kindly, smiling fondly at her. "Because it seems like everything you ever tell me is coming from mom herself. You take a lot after her than you do dad, you know?"

"Someone's got to fill in as the parent when it's just the two of us. And we both know you that someone is," Avala smirked. "Besides, it's lots of fun being a parent. Can't wait until the real time to be a mom comes. You'll be needing me more than you think when that time arrives, probably when you and Kyza have hatchlings running around my nursery."

"Still not giving up on the Kyza and Tango ship, huh? Very well, if it is a relationship you want, then a relationship…..in time you will get, as long as I can make the relationship happen," Tango said, trying to sound unsure of himself. "Regardless of whether I am with Kyza or not, I'll always need you. Whether I am having a bad dream or need a friend to talk to, I'll always need my big sister. Even if you won't tell me where we are going and why we had to wake up early just to leave the house."

She smiled at him. "Even as the household early riser, you still manage to put up a fuss about anything. But trust me, where I am taking you is an extraordinary place for me. Somewhere new and exciting and place where you can take your mind off of everything that is going on, even if it is for a little while."

"Not really much to go on with that," Tango shrugged. "And early _household riser_? Since when do I wake up first? It's always you or Dad dragging me by the tail from my room in the morning whenever I've overslept, physically and metaphorically. A bit more physically than the latter. I'm pretty sure I still have a bruise on my body from the last time it happened."

"Oh you're overly dramatic," Avala said jokingly. "Tell me brother, how much do you trust me?"

"Well, that all depends. How much do you weigh again?" The lightning drake jabbed playfully. "Because about as far as I can throw you."

The ice dragoness glared at him, her walls were weak as she held back the raging urge to smirk at him. "With your past banging at the gates, it is nice to see you still have a sense of humor. But seriously, a fat joke? Are you a hatchling that just left the nest? Because I never thought you would stoop to such a level."

"I'll stoop to whatever level I feel like if it means I get a joke in every once and a while," Tango laughed. "But you love me just enough to put up with my humor. Sorry if I insulted your slim frame, just thought I'd point out that you were getting a little…..puffy." He lunged just out of range of a closed fist but felt a jab from a tail blade in his flank. "Ouch! Okay! I yield! Don't insult your chunkiness."

Avala hated in her tracks, opening her eyes widely in surprise, and tilting her head in his direction. "Chunkiness?" She asked in disbelief. "Do you want to start running now or would you rather apologize?"

"You're right, I was out of line," Tango said, taking a deep breath, daring himself to say more and finally succumbing. "I meant plump…..like a blueberry."

Not waiting for her response, Tango took off as fast as his legs could take him. The feeling of being chased by his sister filled his veins with the old and loved a rush of adrenaline. He knew that she wasn't far behind, assuming that she was actually chasing him through the adjacent barren streets of the city, taking lefts and rights down broad and narrow streets. A couple of citizens gasped as the young dragon sped by them, a few shouting their grievances to which Tango paid them no mind. His sister was the scariest thing he could face beside an angry stranger.

But it sure gave him a feeling that had thought to be long gone. The purest senses of joy from playing a childhood game of chase.

Yet, there was still the worry that Avala was left behind in his trail of dust, either playing the game with him or letting him run rampant like a hatchling. Throwing his head around, Tango quickly scanned his flank and oddly enough, didn't find his sister chasing him. He didn't see his sister on his tail or even a few meters back. In fact, she was nowhere in sight. Fear began to settle on his shoulders as he scanned the rooftops and many storefronts, but to no avail, his teal blue eyes could not find the ice blue scaled dragoness.

The worst kind of fear.

The fear of the unknown.

"Avala?" He called out, keeping the concern in his voice to a bare minimum.

The young drake paced himself slowly in the direction he ran from, hoping to spot his sister treading along the street with a smug look on her face. Tango turned down a narrow road, barely large enough for two adult dragons to squeeze by each other without intermingling their scales. The sun had not touched the ground as the morning was still young, leaving it cold to the touch, sending chills up Tango's legs and into his body. He walked with a careful step, taking each stride with caution, knowing that his sister may be up to no good.

His youthful eyes set upon multiple pieces of cover where his smaller sibling could conceal herself. Padding with feet as light as feathers, Tango crouched low as if he were stalking a rabbit, taking wide berths on each hiding place, and finding no one hiding amongst them. Which made him fear the unknown even more since he had only taken a couple of left and turns.

"No way she didn't just let me run off like a foolish child," Tango whispered, peering out onto the perpendicular streets in front of him, them being more active as stalls and shops started opening for the day. "But she wouldn't make it so easy on me….."

He knew exactly where he was in the city. The border between the Tradesman and High Gardens districts. The lightning dragon could tell by the almost immediate change of scenery as he scanned from left to right. The multitude of stalls and shops turned into luscious, colorful gardens and courtyards. The High Gardens district was where he held his particular moment with Kyza on the day of his lessons with Master Volteer.

 _I'll find the time to share another moment with her as soon as I can_ , he told himself.

The dragon began to move forward into the street, only to find himself not walking entirely. Something was holding his back feet in place, and it sure felt cold against his scales. Looking back at his hind legs, Tango felt his heart drop as he saw his legs securely fastened to the ground by clear blue ice. The ice covered the entire lower half of his back legs. He wasn't going anywhere no matter how much he struggled.

"Yep, definitely didn't make it easy on me," Tango breathed, knowing he was trapped.

As he was looking forward, Tango was hit square in the chest hard enough to shatter the ice and plant him firmly on his back. He clutched his chest, the air being knocked from his lungs, as he gasped for air. His eyes screwed shut in discomfort as a loud whooshing sound filled his ears, along with a severe feeling of freezing cold on his belly. His forelegs were trapped at his sides, and his hind legs could barely move an inch as a light, yet hefty, weight settled on top of him. The lightning drake sucked in a massive gulp of air and opened his eyes to see Avala staring down at him, an evil look of pleasure across her features.

"What's the matter, Tango?" Avala said. "Didn't think I would catch you, huh? Don't tell me you aren't at least a little bit surprised."

"Of course…I am surprised," he exclaimed, still catching his breath. "How did you do that? I sped off faster than a cheetah chasing a deer. There is no way you caught up with me."

"You forget quite so often that the blood of the Terror of the Skies runs fast in my veins. Deception, stealth, stalking, and striking the enemies weakness feel so natural and easy especially on simple prey like yourself," Avala explained, pinching his cheek with her claws. "Plus, when you were trying to find me you didn't think to look towards the rooftops. It was quite entertaining to see you panic because of it."

"You're evil," Tango uttered. "And finding joy in me panicking is a little too far and insensitive, so being the reasonable brother that I am, if you release me I will revoke my comments about you being fat and be nice to you for the rest of the day."

Avala shrugged her shoulders, nodding her head in approval at the offer, but ultimately shook her head. "I think you should freeze here until I lose all of this so-called _chunkiness_ that you speak of," she countered, grabbing a pawful of _fat_. "But you can still be nice to me for the rest of your life. Deal?"

"Deal, now can you please get me out of this ice?" Tango begged. "I don't like being cold."

"I will, but seeing as though we live in a different world we did just a few seconds ago, the conditions have changed," Avala teased. "Just two new conditions. Fair enough?"

Tango shook his head, his teeth beginning to chatter. "Nope….."

"Shame," Avala said, stepping off of her brother. "I thought this was going to be a lot simpler. In fact, I thought being covered in a fragile layer of ice would have surely convinced you."

"Wait, what do you me-…..Ahhh! Whoa, that's cold!" Tango shivered vigorously, as Avala showered him with more ice. "Alright….y-you win. Please! Ju-just…just get rid of the ice." He felt a tingling sensation in the soft spots of his underside, most a lot more appropriate than others. The drake didn't like the ice down there. "I'll d-do anything."

Avala beamed a smile at him as she placed a paw in the center of his chest. "Anything, huh?"

"…..Within reason, of course."

"Oh, I am more than a reasonable sister," Avala said, her paw taking on a bright glow of blue. "Now, say you love your sister and that her body is perfect the way it is and that you were wrong for calling me _plump like a blueberry_."

Tango sighed deeply, knowing he had no choice. _This is embarrassing_. "I love you very much, my perfect sister. You have a body chiseled perfectly by the world's creators, and despite being a blueberry – a lovely blueberry – you are just right in my eyes. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong in the head."

"By the ancestors, does everything you say have to sound so poetic?" Avala giggled.

"Only when I am speaking from the heart or when my nether regions are in danger of freezing off, in this case, both," Tango said seriously. "Now can you please get this ice off of me? I did as you asked!"

Avala smirked and nodded her head. Without saying a word, she concentrated on her glowing paw still placed against his chest. It began to glow brighter, and a light cracking sound filled the air as the ice over her brother's body began to spider web outward from beneath her glowing paw. A few heartbeats later, the ice shattered utterly, and she helped Tango to his legs, punching dead him in the shoulder once he was back on all fours.

"Ow! What was that for?" Tango complained, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.

"For calling me a blueberry," Avala shrugged, bumping against him with her flank as she walked out of the narrow street and in the direction of their final destination. "Now come on, we have little ways left to go. Hopefully, we don't have any more distractions along the way."

"We'll just have to wait and see where the road takes us," Tango said calmly, following his sister. "But did you really have to use your ice on me? I still feel numb and cold all over."

"I didn't have to use my ice power on you, but it sure was fun watching you freeze for as long as you did," Avala teased. "Besides, you deserved to feel the cold against your scales."

"Yeah, any longer and you wouldn't have gotten to hear the words _Aunt_ and _Avala_ in the same sentence exclusively in that order," Tango frowned. "And I'll never hear _Uncle Tango_ if you're constantly freezing a drake's dragon hood entirely off. Because no one would come near you or even poke you with a ten-foot stick."

"Anyone that dares to poke me with a ten-foot stick will have more than their nether regions gladly removed," Avala mumbled, eyeing Tango darkly, to which the drake shifted a few steps away from her, causing the dragoness to smile. "I'm kidding, little brother. Your future children are safe…for now at least."

"That's a relief," Tango sighed dramatically. "Now back to what we were previously talking about before I decided to play with the devil itself. What was it again…? Something about….trust?"

"No, you asked me where I was taking you, which I had been adamant in sharing, and I asked you how much do you trust," Avala said quickly. "And that's when the whole calling your sister a _blueberry_ fiasco started. So I will ask you again since you decided to _play with the devil itself._ How much do you trust me?"

"Poor choice of words there. That I am definitely guilty of, but to answer your question…..," Tango sighed, taking a moment to think of his answer, looking at his sister when he was ready. "If I stood at the peak of the tallest mountain on the clearest of days, my trust in you, mom, dad, my mentors, and my friends, would reach as far as the brightest suns could touch. I say that with all of the sincerity that is vested in me. I'll never stop putting my faith in you unless of course, you do something extremely horrendous and vile."

"When have I ever done anything horrendous or vile? In fact, when have I ever been remotely evil?" Avala asked genuinely, immediately freezing in her place. "You know what, don't even answer that because I already know that I am spewing garbage. And will you stop sounding like a damned poet all the time! For the love of the Ancestors, just talk normally."

"I take that as a compliment," Tango chuckled. "But I only speak that way when I am speaking from the heart. Not saying I don't let my head make conversation every once and a while. I just feel purer and get butterflies in my stomach when I speak from my heart. And if it is, all the same, you enjoy it too much and would miss it if I dared stop. So, your _poet_ of a brother will remain how he is until he draws his last breath. Until either, you meet me, or I meet you in the skies above, then I'll start pestering you with poems again."

Avala cackled as he spoke, knowing that she would never be able to convince him to change his personality. "And who am I to try and change you? If you changed even the slightest, I'd probably go mad and chop off your head."

Tango gulped hesitantly, looking at her thoughtfully. "You don't actually mean that, do you? I actually like my head. And I would prefer it stay right where it is at seeing as though if it were anywhere but securely fastened to the top of my neck, I wouldn't be anywhere close to alive."

"That tends to happen when you remove one's head," Avala said slowly, trying not to make Tango sound dumb. "We could try and experiment with your head if you would like to. Perhaps…right now."

Tango stopped and pointed a single claw at her commandingly. "Avala, I enjoy the good jokes, but do me the kindest of favors and stay away from my head and neck regions until I say otherwise."

Avala spoke no words as she moved his paw aside and hugged _tightly_ around the neck, just enough for him to breath, but not too much. "Of course, little brother. I wouldn't dare try and hurt you. I'd get bored of being an only child. And begging mom and dad for another sibling seems like a longshot."

Tango frowned, realizing his demands fell on deaf ears, or in Avala's case, completely nonexistent ears. But he returned the smirk as he hugged her back for a brief moment. "Yeah, totally unlikely. Now are we near this _exciting_ and _new_ place yet, or are we going to be walking the city for the rest of our lives?"

"I thought you liked long walks," Avala smirked.

"Avala," Tango growled with annoyance. "I'm not playing this game anymore. So either tell me where we are going, or I will turn myself around and go home. Because I haven't the slightest clue where you're trying to take me."

"Really?" Avala exclaimed, brushing away his weak threat. "You've lived in this city for ten years, walked every main and side street, and explored every single district. Yet, you can't simply guess where I am taking you. Instead, you choose to complain and speak of quitting. Let me ask you this. When we left the house, which way did we turn? Left or right?"

Tango licked his lips and concentrated, trying to reminisce the route they had taken. "We went in neither direction. We walked straight through the Golden Gates District until we hit city center where the Council Chambers and High Temple reside. Had we of the gone left, the Academy would have been the landmark. If we went right, we would have walked right out the main gate in the direction of Avalar."

"Correct," Avala praised. "From there we headed in the direction of…"

"….The ports?" Tango said slowly, seeing the map of the city and the path they had taken draw itself in his head. "No, not the ports, we headed for the Tradesman District where we started talking for the first time this morning. You chased me through that district after I called you plump and into the High Gardens District, where I was frozen to the ground. Afterward, we moved through the district and into the…" He drew a blank, losing his train of thought.

"Hope Skies District, we walked into the Hope Skies District," Avala finished. "Why would I take you here of all places? What's here that is of importance?"

"It's where the young ones learn and are…born," Tango said, immediately taking in his surroundings, looking for one specific structure, finally setting his teal blue eyes on it in the far distance. "You're taking me to the nursery? Why? I've been in it and by it hundreds of times, what makes it _new_ and _exciting_ compared to the last time I visited? Let me guess, you redecorated? You're going to show me some new drapes, how exciting."

"Oh shut up. That's not even remotely my reason behind bringing you," Avala grumbled as she started to walk towards the nursery.

"Then what is?" Tango nearly shouted.

"You only got to see it from a visitors perspective, and I believe it's time for you to see the nursery from a brand new perspective, and I have much to show you," Avala called back, her pace not slowing. "Come brother, there is someone I'd like you to meet."

* * *

 **A/N: L** **eave me some feedback so I can know how I am doing. Thank you also for breaking 40 favs and 40 follows as well as the 5,000 views mark.**

 **Until we meet again, God Bless and Take care.**

 **Happy Holidays! See you in 2019!**

 **Atlas Out!**


	9. The Rains of Euphoria

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 8**

 **The Rains of Euphoria**

* * *

"Are you sure it's a smart idea to bring me here, Avala?" Tango asked hesitantly as he slowly padded towards the nursery.

In the few moments since he figured out where his sister was taking him, he began having unsure thoughts. Something about going to a place like a nursery gave him wrong ideas. Of all the places he felt intimidated to enter, this was the one, even though he'd been here many times in the past.

"Yes, I am sure," Avala answered immediately.

"Really? 'Cause I'm not." Tango mumbled.

She turned on him, recognizing the concern in his voice. She took a seat in his path, halting him from taking another step. Noticing the hint, he fell back on his haunches, fumbling with his front paws and averting her gaze, apparently in a world of his own. Not even ten minutes ago there was a passionate smile across his features, but now it was twisted into a frown, something she had to question.

"What's on your mind?"

"Well…," Tango began, once more, shifting his paws uneasily and barely looking at her emerald gaze.

"Come on…," Avala coaxed, gently patting him on the shoulder. "Out with it. What do you need to say? Better get it out now."

"I'm just not so sure about this, Avala," Tango winced, hoping he wouldn't upset her. "It has my mind racing in directions I don't want it to go."

"How so?" Avala pressed.

"I don't know," Tango murmured. "Doesn't this all just seem a bit… sudden to you?"

Avala snapped her gaze at him, her mind started to swirl with slight perplexity. Though it was how he said and reacted to his own words. She quickly started asking herself questions that she immediately found answers to, before smiling at him, hoping to rebuild his confidence.

"I get it, Tango," Avala said gently. "It does seem… sudden, but… I believe that this will be good for you."

"But my…," His head leaned in close, his voice barely a whisper. "Panic attacks. What if I have another episode in there? I don't want to scare them!"

"Tango," she shook her head and looked squarely into his eyes. "You're not going to have a panic attack in there. You know why? Because I'm going to be by your side every step of the way. And we can go at your own pace."

Tango took a deep breath, realizing his paws were tied. If he chose to continue with her, he'd be risking a possible small relapse. And if he opted to play it safe and head home, she'd put up a fuss that would be held over him forever. Both sides were, in a way, a losing battle. But there was apparently an obvious choice. The choice that would make his sister happy; the best kind of decision.

"Does that work for you?"

He nodded. "If you think I'll be okay, then I have no reason not to trust you."

"Great to hear," Avala said, a soft smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. "I was hoping I'd have to try and convince you…"

"But…," Tango added while catching up to her, cutting her off by raising a single claw up to her snout. "The moment I start feeling uneasy or uncomfortable, and I can't keep it under control, I'm walking out those front doors and heading directly home with or without you."

Avala dipped her head, noting the seriousness in his tone. "No arguments from me. But I'm not worried about that because the only thing that you'll be leaving with…" She turned and called over her shoulder. "Is a skip in your step and a smile on your face."

"I pray to the Ancestors that you are right," Tango breathed. "But before we get this show started, can I ask something from you?"

"Being?" Avala said, looking over her shoulder.

"How exactly do I talk to hatchlings?"

"Oh for Ancestor's sakes," Avala muttered, doing get best not to make fun of him, biting back a laugh.

"What?! It's a serious question!" Tango defended.

"Just being yourself is the best advice I can give," Avala finally laughed. "Make them laugh and don't be afraid to treat them like you were their parent. They love being well… loved and nurtured."

"But what about…," Tango began.

"Tango!" Avala exclaimed, almost shouting. "You're going to be fine, I won't let anything happen to you. Just have some faith in me, and I guarantee that you will have a great time."

"Guarantee, huh?" Tango questioned, raising an eye ridge. "Why do I have a feeling I'm being led into an ambush?"

"Because you are," Avala said blankly, ignoring his face turning pale. "Now, get your hide through those doors before I go insane."

The lightning drake smirked as she walked towards the nursery doors, pushing her way inside without him, apparently a force of habit taking over. He shook his head with a light chuckle and started to follow her.

 _So much for waiting for me!_

Tango paused a few meters outside the entrance of the nursery, taking in the sight of the beautiful sandstone building. To him, it looked like a miniature version of the academy building minus the tall spires shooting into the sky, yet it carried a very modernized elegance compared to his school.

It's main structure painted in warm and inviting colors and accented in neutral tones to help make it contrast from surrounding buildings, making it a unique place for one to feast their eyes upon. Windows made up a majority of the walls and banners hung almost everywhere.

There was a mural of hatchlings chasing each other through a bright green meadow filled with extravagantly colored flowers. The pure joy on these imaginary characters restored a bit of his failing sanity, making this visit feel already more comfortable.

He pushed through the birch wood doors of the nursery and hatchery building. The immediate smell of lavender flowers and milk it his nose like an earth missile, instantly giving him a sense of relaxation and peace of mind. He was accustomed to the smell, his mind filled with a pleasant memory of his parents officially adopting him.

He immediately spotted various paintings on the far wall featuring young hatchlings early stages in life. The multiple happy faces and actions of the characters drew a blank picture in his mind, like a vacant spot in his memories. Seeing how easy that life seemed made him wince with a bit of jealousy.

There was a front desk off to the left manned by a white dragoness a couple years older than him. The dragoness raised an eye ridge and winked at him a sort of seductive matter before returning to her business. Tango shook away the compromising thought that followed, not even considering what was going through her head.

His mind glanced elsewhere around the spacious front foyer and sitting area, noticing many cushions for new or expecting parents and an assortment of toys for children; most likely a visiting area for young families. A mother and father currently occupied the space with two small hatchlings; identical twins by the looks of them.

The parents, a red fire drake and a sky blue wind dragoness, smiled fondly at their two hatchlings play fighting on a large cushion. The hatchlings, a pair of wind drakes, looked no older than three months old, maybe even less than that. Their horns mere nubs on their heads and wings no bigger than Tango's paw pad. And their scales were similar to their mothers, while their chests and wings matched the father.

The parents noticed him staring and inclined their heads to Tango, apparently recognizing him, and it took Tango a moment to acknowledge the fire drake. His name was Onix, a member of the High Council. And his mate, Maryne.

Being the son of the Purple Dragon and Fabled Black Dragon brought its extensive array of perks, one being that their children were the most recognized in the city and their children knew a lot of the individuals higher up the totem pole.

Tango approached them slowly, returning the gesture. "They're beautiful."

He felt the tremendous amount of love practically radiating off the parents. It made him feel a sense of relief since it was always a risky thing approaching a family with hatchlings as young these ones regardless of how well he knew them. But Tango felt confident that the parents wouldn't mind. Walking toward them seemed natural since he'd adopted the ability to make simple conversation with other dragons. In the past, he'd have been more content looking from afar.

"You must be proud to have them."

"We definitely are, thank you," Maryne said kindly, appreciation shown brightly in her eyes. "We were …happy to be blessed with twins."

"I'm sure you were, and twins is always a sight to see. So rare to see these days," Tango replied. "Wh-what are their names?"

Onix pointed to the hatchling with the respective name. "Jareth and Viser, both of our grandfather's names."

"Wonderful names," Tango complimented, admiring the children. "Sorry if I intruded on your family time. I just couldn't help but notice how cute they are. Again, a lovely pair of boys."

Maryne waved the comment dismissively. "We don't mind the intrusion. Everyone that visits stops to see them. I can understand the urge to approach."

Onix gave him a sly wink. "Expecting an egg of your own? I'd expect nothing less from the son of the world's saviors."

Tango immediately flushed red in the cheeks, but he shook his head and a paw. "Honestly, even with my family's stature, I'm still not brave enough to swoon a fertile dragoness off her paws. I think I'll wait until I'm thirty. Just like my parents did."

"Dear, stop teasing him," Maryne scolded, playfully shoving her mate. "Spyro and Cynder would never let you hear the end of it."

"I'm kidding," Onix relented. "But I like his answer. A smart and youthful dragon. Besides, Spyro probably gives him the same amount of embarrassment at home from the stories I've heard."

"You have no idea what my father is capable of, but besides the point, I'm actually here with my sister," Tango added. "She's around here somewhere…"

"Tango."

"And there she is now."

The lightning drake turned to see Avala approaching him and the family with a smile on her face, unsure exactly where she came from. But when Tango turned his head back to the hatchlings, he saw the twins staring up at him with big, curious eyes both colored a light variation of hazel. One of the young drakes reached up at him with a tiny paw.

Tango chuckled at them as he lowered his neck down to their level, smiling as the two wind drakes reached forward and touched him on his muzzle almost fearlessly. Their touch was smooth and incredibly soft, and their scent was fresh and sweet like they had just been bathed.

"Hello, little ones," Tango whispered, beaming a smile at the small drakes. "Oh, you two are just… too cute."

Avala stifled a laugh as she stopped by her brother's side and dipped her head at the parents. "Onix, Maryne, it's good to see you visiting again. How are the twins doing? It's been a while since I last saw them."

"They've been doing just fine as far as we've been told. Growing normally, good eating habits, and they've started to at least attempt speaking," Onix answered with an unworried shrug. "Especially Jareth, he almost has momma and papa. Viser is close behind."

"And clearly being a lot more social and adventurous as you can obviously see," Maryne added, smirking as her twins began to climb up Tango's face and down his neck. "I can smell trouble on them from a mile away."

Tango raised his eye ridges at her with surprise, as he slowly stood up, taking caution not to knock the pair off his shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he breathed, slightly wincing as little claws dug into his scales. "They don't seem like troublemakers to me."

"Be careful of their sharp claws," Avala warned.

"Little late to that party, Avala," Tango insisted through gritted teeth. "They're not too bad. Probably just want a piggyback ride. I'll be right back."

Tango began to walk around the room making noises and whistles. He opened his wings, dipping side to side causing the twins to laugh and giggle hysterically to the point of exhaustion. But he still played it safe, making sure they didn't fall off. The last thing he wanted was to hurt one of them by accident.

The parents laughed lightly at his antics before looking at Avala. "You're lucky to have him as a brother, Avala. I can already tell he's going to be good with his own future kids."

"I think so too," Avala whispered at them. "I keep telling him that he would enjoy this place, but lately he's been going through some stuff and hasn't gotten the chance."

"Everything going okay? Anything we can help with?"

Avala shook her head sadly. "He just needs family more than anything. It's been a rough couple of weeks for him. I'm just doing what I can to make him happy."

"Bringing him here is a good choice," Onix said. "It's impossible to leave here unhappy."

"I couldn't agree more. But Tango still has some things to figure out and many, many years before he should even consider having any kids. Plus, we dragoness's aren't even capable of conceiving children until we're at least twenty-five years old. So, that'll be a good substitute until that time comes."

"I agree," Onix said, observing the lightning drake playing with his children. "If he is anything like your father, he'll know when the time is right. But if there is anything we can do to help, anything at all, you let us know."

"And I'll make sure my parents know it," Avala said appreciatively. "They'll be happy to receive it."

"But in regards to your brother, knowing his past, I can't even imagine what he is going through after ten years," Maryne lamented, her whole body giving off a quick, violent shake. "He's in the best paws possible. If anyone can help him, it's your family."

"I hope you're right," Avala muttered. "He may be getting close to adulthood and close to living on his own; however, after all my brother has gone through, he needs moments like these more ever. Seeing anything but a smile on his face is the the…most difficult thing to bear."

The two parents gazed at each other, noticing the deeper meaning behind the ice dragoness's words, but they didn't question it further. Instead, they watched Tango play with their twins, making silly faces and laughing every time he came within range of them.

After about ten minutes of good time expended, Maryne looked at her mate almost disappointingly.

"Dear, I think it's time we take our leave. Avala, can we leave them with you and your brother?" Maryne asked, turning to the dragoness. "We have some things to take care of and just wanted to stop by to see them real quick."

"I understand, Maryne," She dipped her head. "I'll take good care of them. Or… Tango will take good care of them."

"I know you two will."

Avala nodded and waved for her brother to bring the hatchlings back to the parents, shaking her head with a grin as she watched Tango stomp toward them with a light buck in his legs. The twin boys laughed with high pitched screams as they held on tight for the fun ride.

Tango came to a slow stop, his chest breathing heavily as he tried to suppress the laughter building in his throat. "These two are… quite… entertaining, to say the least, but their claws are so darn sharp. I'm lucky I still have scales on my back."

Onix chuckled deep down in his throat. "Well, I hope the pain is worth it. They clearly enjoyed the bit of horseplay. But I'm afraid our stay has been extended a little longer than expected."

"Leaving so soon…," Tango exhaled. "Party is just getting started."

"Unfortunately, yes, you know how council business is, always taking my precious free time right out from under me," Onix huffed. "But it was fun while it lasted. You're pretty good with kids, Tango. I can see why the twins gravitated towards you so quickly."

"Must like my color or maybe it's the scars," Tango shrugged, looking over shoulder at the two wind drakes. "Maybe because they like the silly-looking ones."

The larger fire drake placed a thankful paw on Tango's shoulder. "Well, if we ever need a babysitter, we'll know who to ask."

"That is quite an offer that I'll definitely consider it. Thank you."

Onix dipped his head at Tango before reaching down and nuzzling the two precious bundles still dug into Tango's back. Maryne followed suit, giving the twins kisses and licks before briefly tapping Tango's forehead with her snout; a common sign of appreciation from all dragon mothers.

"Take care of yourself, Tango," Maryne comforted. "It always gets better as time goes on."

Tango swallowed heavily, avoiding her admiring gaze, knowing fully what she was talking about. He wiped his eyes, not letting his mind wander down that dark alley, but still forced a grateful smile up at her.

"Goodbye you two," Avala called as the parents walked out the door and disappearing into the streets of the city.

Tango closed his eyes letting out a sad sigh, shaking his head as a bad memory lurked into his vision. He knew Maryne meant well with her generous words, but something about it stung. Only by a gentle nudge from his sister did he look into her eyes.

"You doing okay?" Avala asked seriously. "You got that look in your eye when Maryne said that to you."

Tango nodded, staying silent, taking a shaky breath.

"You're not going to freak out on me, are you?

"No! No, I'll be alright. I've gotten pretty good at blocking it out per se. It's just how she said it that got to me is all."

Avala still seemed unsure. "We can leave and come back later if you aren't feeling comfortable. Tess and these little ones will still be here. They won't be going anywhere."

Tango wiped at his nose, sniffing away the moisture. "I didn't come this far to back out now. Like you said, this will be good for me; and it has so far. Something inside my head is telling me that I should keep going, which is what I want to do."

"If you say so, but anything worse than this and I will call this whole thing off, and we'll try for another day," Avala declared, her opinion solidified like concrete.

"Sounds fair."

"Very well, let's go meet Tess."

She guided him past the front desk, where he received a friendly smile from the white dragoness, this look being professional unlike the strange intimate one earlier. He walked with light strides, taking the precaution of the two hatchlings still attached to his back like ticks. Their tiny claws felt like mini daggers in his scales.

"By the way, the red drapes in the front room looked nice," Tango joked. "They really made the room feel very inviting."

"Be quiet," Avala scowled.

Tango snickered, but didn't continue to antagonize her further, for his ability to irritate her would likely have been able to last the rest of the day. But past experiences and a few small scars later told him enough was enough.

"Also, that receptionist was looking at me funny," Tango said, casting a glance over his shoulder. "Should I be worried about potential stalkers?"

"Don't mind, Juno," Avala consoled the young drake. "She has a mate and likes to discourage others that don't work here from coming this far. She's completely harmless. And actually really nice and a good friend of mine, so if you say anything mean to her, you're going to be dealing with me."

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

"Good to hear, but like I said, completely harmless and very nice."

"Phew, that's a relief," Tango sighed. "She started giving me those eyes like she wanted me to father her children. Sure looked harmless to me."

"Stop exaggerating yourself, Tango. I know the only dragoness you want ogling at you is Kyza, and if the rumors are true, she already is taking an interest in you."

Just the very sound of her name filled him with joy. Tango hadn't had a moment with Kyza since the night he trained with Master Volteer. It hurt him to think he had set her aside like she was nothing, not being there to fulfill her needs and wants. His last time kissing her lingered on his mind. Feeling her slightly smaller frame pressed against his chest and intertwining their tails tightly. The smooth touch of her lips as they held each other for hours in complete harmony. He knew that she was the one who would fly to the ends of the earth to be with him.

They were both getting to that point when young dragons would begin courting each other, usually when a male is capable of breeding give or take a few years. They start spending a lot of their time together and becoming more intimate and comfortable with each other's bodies. Usually, by their final growth spurt, which was still a few years off for the both of them, would they take the step up from courtship to mates. He knew that's what she wanted, but some significant changes needed to occur before Tango would make that kind of leap. The lightning drake was excited for that day but knew that patience came first and foremost.

Yet, it was eating away at his heart not seeing her secretly. All he had was the mental picture of her flashing in his brain.

But he made her a promise to her and accomplished it by telling his parents about his problems, even if his method was poorly executed via a panic attack. He'd see her again as soon as he could. But Avala couldn't know about that for the time being.

"Have you talked to her yet?"

"No, I've been having nightmares and panic attacks in my free time," Tango answered bemusedly, telling the partial truth.

She stopped at a pair of wooden doors, peering over at the twins. "Conversation for another time then. Anyway, we are here, and it looks like the dynamic duo is getting sleepy."

Tango felt the slight sway of the twins bearing down on his spine. Their claws loosening and tightening in his scales. If he wasn't careful enough, either one of them could fall off his back from drowsiness.

"If we're quick, we can put them to bed, but before we do that…," Avala stepped through the door, grabbing two things of cloth that hooked together at their ends. "We're going to carry them with these little neck nests."

Tango took the cloth from her and opened his eyes wide at how soft and warm they felt, seeing that they worked like a necklace. "Carrying them around our necks like a necklace. Why?"

"It's safer to carry them while we still have four paws instead of three; plus, you can't see them on your back, meaning you don't have positive control," Avala explained as she grabbed one of the twins and wrapped him in the cloth before clipping it around her neck. "You can carry a sleeping baby while you work paws-free. Makes watching the smaller, more delicate newborns a lot easier."

The wind drake, Jareth, laid on his back, not a squirm nor a fuss as his little mouth gaped in an enormous yawn; he closed his eyes before falling into a peaceful sleep. The transition from Tango's back to neck nest to sleep lasted no longer than two minutes.

"Interesting," was all Tango could say.

"They fall asleep faster when they can listen to your heartbeat, making them feel safe and secure," Avala added, softly touching Jareth's side. "It's why mothers cradle their children. Now, it's little Viser's turn."

Tango mimicked his sister's process of wrapping the infant and attaching the hooks behind his neck, taking a little bit longer than she did. Soon enough, there was a sleeping drake against his chest absorbing the warmth from his body, cooing at the sound of Tango's steady heartbeat.

"I wish I got carried around like this," Tango said jealously. "I wonder if Mom would do this to us."

"Don't put any ideas in her head because she wouldn't think twice about trying it out," Avala warned. "I'm barely getting out of the habit of being cradled."

Tango put up a paw defensively. "Alright, I'll keep my trap shut. But the cradling tried it out and loved it."

"Of course you did," Avala grinned. "Which comes as no shock to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tango protested cheekily.

"That mom still treats you like her little baby," Avala mocked kiddingly. "But it doesn't matter anymore because you're here with your big sis in the nursery where all babies belong."

Tango rolled his eyes at her, stunned that she called him a little baby thinking it was like a free pass. But he gave a brief, defiant, and devilish glare. He'd get her back later, and she knew it.

"Now, through this door is the greatest place in this city, based solely on the fact that you can never leave disappointed," She continued. "Just watch where you step because they are free range and like to get under everyone's toes."

Tango nodded understandingly as his sister pushed through the door and led him into the main complex of the nursery.

The first thing he noticed was the giant, open, and circular courtyard in the middle partitioned by glass walls where the sun shined brightly on bright, green grass. A caretaker was watching closely over a group of hatchlings playing as their young scales absorbed the much-needed sunlight.

The courtyard was surrounded by an even larger circle where most of the action was taking place. A couple bath basins to their left with a few of the younglings being bathed with the special soap that helped solidify their fragile scales. And many areas for the children to roam and play with one another.

Along the outer wall were rooms with glass windows for quick glances into them. The rooms each having a specific purpose whether it be for eggs or sleeping hatchlings. Many different age groups being taught how to speak or painting pictures to show their parents. But most of the children obviously loved playing judging by the happy screams and giggles filling the air.

"I can see why you like it here, sis," Tango said, watching younglings play across the room. "Makes you wish you had kids of your own, gets you into that parenting mentality years ahead of everyone else. Plus, it seems so easy."

Her gaze faltered as a group of hatchlings ran between their legs, the ice dragoness watching them sadly as they continued to run and laugh.

"Yeah, you have a point, but I'm patient. I want kids but, that's not even physically possible until I'm twenty-five. You, males, are lucky because you only have to wait until you're twenty. Stupid biology."

Tango shrugged, not interested in starting a debate with her that he knew would quickly ensue into a huge argument. Even if he did believe that she was exaggerating herself a little too much. But he could still feel the sadness in his heart at seeing her upset.

Avala led him to a side room where dozens of baby dragons were sleeping in little baskets lined with cloth and down, a light brown drake overseeing them from the far wall.

"Hey, Tenser," Avala whispered. "Got any room for two more?"

The Earth Drake dipped his head as he pointed a claw to two empty baskets near the viewing glass. "You want me to take them or can you handle it, Avala?"

His voice was genuine and soft, not intending to spark any sort of disrespect or conflict. Just a simple show of good faith.

"We got this, thanks anyway," Avala replied. "We have Jareth in basket twenty-nine and Viser in basket thirty."

"Thank you kindly," Tenser mumbled, writing the entry in a nearby log book. "They have a good visit?

"They did indeed."

Tango and Avala helped each other unclip the babies from their neck nests, gently depositing them into their respected sleeping baskets before hanging up the neck nests on the wall. Tango nodded to Tenser before walking out the door while Avala quickly thanked him.

"Is that the Earth drake I've read about in your diary?" Tango said slyly with a devilish grin across his muzzle when the door closed behind his sister. "If not, he seemed nice."

"What? Tenser? No, he's just a work friend. Besides, he's like four years younger than me. Way too young for my tastes," Avala retorted, shaking her muzzle.

"But there is an Earth Drake you've been swooning over, right?" Tango pried, bumping his shoulder into her. "Unless your diary is just a book of lies."

"Maybe, maybe not," Avala replied blankly. "But don't you worry about a thing. Now, unless you're still trying to pry into my love life, let's go find Tess."

"Any idea where she is?"

"I've got a couple places in mind," Avala said, as she continued walking next to the outer wall. "But there's one spot I want to check first because I can bet my life savings that she'll be there."

"Where?"

"Right below the portrait of you."

Tango opened his eyes widely, remembering what Avala said about Tess that stuck out the most. That being her big obsession in the painting of him the nursery commissioned many years ago. He could barely remember the day it was created, but he remembered being stubborn and upset that he was forced to be drawn. Even though he had agreed to do it after some dedicated persuading by his parents.

They remained silent for a few minutes, observing caretakers at work with multiple young dragons from newborns to yearlings, all varying in color, size, and personality. He could see why Avala took such a high degree of professionalism in the position she held as caretaker. Many citizens had high respect in the trade and defense business, but they always forget that none of those things would last very long without up and coming young drakes and dragoness' to fill the empty spots. This was the place to work.

"Tango," Avala whispered, bumping him in the shoulder with her wing tip, pointing a claw to their direct front. "That's her over there."

Tango followed her direction and saw a small lightning dragoness peering up at a painting hanging on the wall, which he instantly assumed was the one of him. Her face filled with interest and awe.

Tess was bright yellow with an aquamarine underbelly. Her wings were undeveloped but more prominent and proportionate to her slender little body. Three white horns poked a top couple inches out the top of her head. Her golden eyes bright and full with interest toward the painting, clearly still seeing Tango as some sort of idol or deity. She was adorable, to say the least.

"Hide right here," Avala said, pointing to a deep alcove. "I'll lure her over, and you can surprise her. She's always asking about you visiting."

Tango shrugged as he nodded his head, stepping into the alcove without a word. The excitement began building in his chest, and his heart started accelerating.

"Tess," Avala called to the youngling as her brother nodded. "Guess who?"

Tess snapped her gaze with her mouth slightly ajar, immediately smiling brightly as she laid eyes on her favorite caretaker before darting toward her, lunging at Avala's chest for an embrace. The ice dragoness stumbled slightly but maintained a secure footing while wrapping an arm around the rambunctious lightning hatchling.

"Avala!" Tess exclaimed happily, nuzzling the ice dragoness under the chin and neck. "I missed you."

Avala held the little lightning dragoness up with one paw, gently nuzzling her back. "I missed you too, sweetheart."

"I tried to find you when I woke up, but the other caretakers said you weren't supposed to be coming today," Tess quickly explained. "But I knew it in my heart that you were going to come."

"I hadn't planned on coming to see you today, but something told me that I should," Avala said. "I'm glad that you were surprised to see me."

"I love surprises from my favorite caretaker," Tess chirped.

Tango melted at how sweet Tess was, completely unsure how someone could be that pure. She was so innocent and kind. The little dragoness hadn't even noticed him, and he was already in love with her.

"I painted you a picture today," Tess spoke proudly. "It took me all morning."

"You did?" Avala said. "I can't wait to see it. But before we do that, I have to know something."

"Okay!"

"Were you staring at that picture of my brother again?" Avala said, pointing toward the frame on the wall.

Tess nodded, looking around as though to see something that could fill her with some bit of hope. Her eyes saddened as she looked up at Avala.

"Avala?" Tess asked sadly. "Where's Tango? You brought him today, didn't you?"

Tango felt a pain strike his heart at her sudden change in mood. Had he been depriving this little dragon for so long it hurt her that much to miss another possible visit with him? The lighting drake immediately felt sick in the stomach.

"I'm sorry, little one," Avala sighed, feeling her pain. "He couldn't come today. He was feeling yucky and stayed home in bed. He felt horrible that he couldn't come."

"Oh, Avala," Tango whispered. "Don't break her little heart like that."

"Is he going to get better?" Tess asked worryingly. "Did you feed him some yummy soup to make him feel better?"

"I did right before I came here," Avala explained. "But Tango wanted me to tell you that he was sad that he couldn't be here, but that he'll come as soon as he feels better."

"But I really wanted to see him," Tess said, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm not here forever."

"I know, sweetie," Avala sympathized, hugging the little one tighter. "He knew that and was really sad about it too."

Tango stuck his head around the corner to see Tess resting her head on Avala's shoulder, clearly upset and on the verge of tears with her eyes closed tightly with his sister holding her tightly. He didn't want their first meeting to be a sad one, and he knew Avala wasn't trying to make her cry. But Tango wasn't having it anymore, so with slow, precise movements, he approached his sister and positioned his head in front of Tess's little nose.

Avala looked over her shoulder to see Tango staring at the upset child and cleared her throat loudly, rubbing Tesyla's back.

"Tess, open your eyes."

Tango smiled brightly as Tess slowly opened her beautiful gold eyes, his heart fluttering as she lifted her head to look him directly in his teal-blue eyes. He felt like he was punched in the stomach as she sniffed and wiped her face.

"Hi, Tess," he said slowly. "It's me, Tango."

The small dragoness's jaw dropped at the sudden sight of him mere inches from her nose, and a flashy smile began to form as Avala slowly set her down on the floor. She was frozen in place, looking up at Avala and back at Tango in disbelief.

Tango chuckled, struggling to fight back happy tears as he laid down in front of her, admiring her overwhelming happiness she was somehow keeping in a steel trap.

"Well, are you just going to stand there or…ooof," Tango began to say before Tess lunged at him, hugging him tightly around the neck.

"You're here! You're here! I can't believe you're here!" she squeaked happily.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this moment for the whole world," Tango said, holding her securely.

"Avala said you were feeling yucky."

"She did?" Tango said in mock disbelief. "Well, she's not wrong. I wasn't feeling too well when I woke up. I had an upset tummy."

"Are you feeling better now? Did the soup make it better?" Tess interrogated.

"It did, and it was yummy!" Tango said, being a little extra flamboyant and perky.

"She said that you couldn't come through."

"How dare she say that! I can't believe she would lie like that!"

"I know," Tess said softly. "It made me sad."

"I'm sorry mean, old Avala made you sad," Tango sympathized, grinning evilly at his sister, receiving rolled eyes in return. "I'm sure she didn't mean it though. But, I'm here to see you now. Can you forgive my sister for being mean and lying?"

Tess nodded willingly, looking up at Avala with slightly hurt eyes. "I forgive you, Avala. You just made me sad."

"I'm sorry I made you sad, Tess," Avala said. "I won't do it ever again. I just wanted to surprise you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Cross your heart?" Tess added.

"Cross my heart," Avala promised, making an X across her chest as she spoke. "Now, Tango is here to see you for a couple of hours. Meaning he will do whatever you want to do until we have to go home."

"What do you want to do, Tess?" Tango asked. "I'll play whatever you want to play."

"I know! I know!" Tess exclaimed as though she was never upset, jumping and pulling at Tango's paw. "Let's go find my friends and play hide-and-seek."

"Oh you're in for it now," Avala warned. "She and her friends are tough to find."

"I think I'll manage," Tango said overconfidently. "Now, where are these friends of yours?"

"I don't know, but let's go find them!" Tess said excitedly as she took off as fast as her legs could carry her, singing happily that her favorite dragon was here to play.

Tango smiled as he followed the hyperactive dragoness with his sister in tow.

"Tango, you're the seeker!"

Tango huffed and rolled his eyes in amusement at the child's antics.

 _Of course, she wouldn't make it easy for me!_

* * *

The little lightning dragoness had dragged Tango all over the building for the time that she had possession of him. Showing him her favorite toys, all the best hiding places, and playing a wide variety of children's games he never got to experience at their age.

It brought constant smiles to his face to see the dragoness full of overwhelming joy and contentment with life. Her openness with Tango was astounding, sharing secrets with him and demanding many hugs and nuzzles. The little yellow had him wrapped tightly around her claws. Not even a yearling and she had more authority over him than his own parents. If Tess wanted something from him, he was obligated to give it. But Tango was happy to play along.

But the highlight of the whole visit was when his sister and a gang of hatchlings ambushed him when he was counting for a silly game. And instead of freaking out, Tango laughed harder than he had ever laughed in his entire life, mainly because all dragons have a sensitive tickle spot. Or in his case, a few that the ambushers exploited thanks to his traitorous sibling. But by the time the young drake fought them all off with counter tickles and playful roars, the little ones all yawned sleepily.

The quiet hours had descended upon the nursery quicker than Tango had hoped. But it meant that it was nap time for all the hatchlings in the nursery, allowing the caretakers to catch up on a few work items and grab a quick bite to eat before the children woke up. The children were masters at being one step ahead of them, meaning they had to jump at every opportunity to play catch up.

Avala and Tango set themselves up with a considerable cushion in a quiet corner of the nursery with a bay window. A couple of the hatchlings followed or were carried, including Tess, and snuggled up against their warm bodies. Avala had four hatchlings, one between her front legs and the others in a bundle against her belly. Tango only had Tess, much to Avala's disappointment.

"Tango, can I ask you something?" Avala said after a while, pausing hesitantly to formulate the question bouncing around her mind.

"Sure."

"What was your life like before we took you in? I want to understand your pain more so that I can help you better. You've never been very forthcoming about it."

Tango had been staring out the bay window, where a small bout of rain began to pour into the streets and a few misfortune citizens. The question had hit him harder than he had wanted it to, but he felt he owed her an answer. She was his sister, after all, always keeping his best interests in mind. He had been adamant about discussing his past with anyone, including his family. Other than that, everyone that knew about him knew the basics.

He lived in the Whispering Wilds on his own since he was seven years old until Spyro and Cynder found him on a cold, stormy night. They brought him home, his body covered in scars, and took him into their home without question. And everyone spread rumors that later on passed like an odor in the wind.

But never had he gone further in depth as it hurt to think about. Yet, there was something in his gut telling him that it was time.

He jumped slightly as a paw grabbed his own, gripping it firmly. But as he looked at Avala, his gaze shifted over to the hatchlings and down at Tess, who was burrowed into his chest scales.

"Can we talk about it… please?"

Tango nodded, still peering down at the little bundle in his arms. "You have to promise me that you'll keep this to yourself. Only a pawful of people know about this, and I don't need anyone delving further into something they don't understand. Promise me, Avala."

"I promise," She quickly agreed.

Tango took a deep breath, looking from Tess to Avala. "It's funny how we are a species capable of immense power, able to instill the fear of the Ancestors in anyone. We can fly great distances and can live for a thousand years. Yet, we come into this world so adorable and innocent."

"We're an incredible species, Tango," Avala agreed. "Guess you can say it's luck that we were born dragons."

"They're all lucky," Tango muttered, staring back at the sleeping hatchlings. "Everyone in this city has a bit of luck born with them."

"What do you mean?" Avala questioned.

"They get to grow up like all children should," Tango answered solemnly. "A roof over their head and a family that would walk through a thousand stone walls to protect them. No reason to look over their shoulder and no fear of the unknown. It's almost unfair."

"Why would it be unfair?" Avala asked. "You can't put the blame on someone just because of where they are born. Wait a minute! Are you jealous of them?!"

"I'm not jealous... well maybe just a little," Tango said with a sigh, speaking slowly. "It's just, I never got to live like them. Living life was an uphill battle from the moment my egg shattered and left me all alone. I never knew the feeling of full bellies and clear skies at their age. I never felt a mother's warmth until Mom wrapped herself around me for the first time. Life for these little ones is like a day in paradise. Painting, playing, laughing, having that person who loves you, to hold you when you're hurt…"

He drifted back towards the street outside, seeing the rain come down even harder, a light pitter-patter of droplets hitting the roof and resonating throughout the room. Tango held Tess closer as if to protect her from the rain.

"I had to fight to survive; it was either kill or be killed. There were days where I'd be injured and bleeding that I…," his expression twisted, looking his sister in the eye. "I begged to be taken from this world. And the things that hurt me. The things in those woods, creatures I never got a good look at, left their mark on me that I'll have to carry for the rest of my life."

Never had anyone dared to question his scars, but there was the occasional curious pair of eyes that stared too long that made him feel uncomfortable. Every bit of scar tissue carried with it a traumatic memory.

"I still get those days where I wake up and wonder why I'm still alive. Those negative thoughts fill my mind and make me feel like… like…," his voice stuttered, trying to find the right words to grasp.

"Like you shouldn't still be alive?" Avala finished, her tone filled with shock.

He nodded. "I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but when you're fighting for your life with the cold pelting at your scales, open wounds draining your life force with every beat of your heart, and an empty, shriveling stomach, you can't help but realize that death would be much easier than life." He took a series of shivering breaths, pushing himself to finish.

"I would be scared to close my eyes when the sunset, terrified that I would get taken in the night and killed. The only thing that kept me going for seven whole years was opening my eyes to see the bright of day. I kept telling myself that if I can live to see another sunrise, I'll soon find the day where I can live to love a beautiful sunset. Had to maintain that mindset every single day."

Avala nodded her head sympathetically, unable to find the words to make him feel any form of pure comfort. She had some theories about his tough stage in life, but never this excruciatingly heartbreaking.

"I went to bed hungry, stomach pains more excruciating than you could imagine," Tango continued finally. "Scrounging for scraps at a young age, when most prey was as big as me or bigger. Never caught my first rabbit until the age of three. And didn't find my first red healing crystal deposit until I was six. It's why I have so many scars."

"I'll admit, I was intimidated by the vast amount of marks on you, yet I grew to admire them," Avala recounted, glancing over his body, seeing the light colored scar tissue in various shapes and sizes; the longest on his neck and the largest on his side beneath his wing. "And they do give you a certain type of character that you can't help but admire. And despite all that, you persevered."

"Had I not had any perseverance, I wouldn't have lasted longer than a day. My life was on the brink of sudden collapse until Mom and Dad finally showed up. My body was minutes from total shutdown; I felt my organs shutting down from the severe cold I was tormented with. Had they not shown up and made me feel the warmth from my fire, I'd be… I'd be dead right now. They are my saving graces."

A tear trickled down his cheek, signifying his graciousness towards his parents saving his life. He felt Avala gingerly wipe his cheek and lean her forehead into his, relieving him of his sadness. Hushing him as he quietly cried to himself.

"I owe them everything," Tango croaked, pulling away from her, his eyes red and starting to puff; his nose sniffing away the tears. "They saved my life and gave me a second chance."

"The ancestors guided them to you because they have plans for you," Avala smiled weakly, squeezing one of his paws tightly. "They saw something inside your heart and soul that they didn't want to see your life force snuffed out just yet. And while Tess wasn't even a thought in her families minds, she was there to see you live."

Tango smirked, gently strengthening his hold on the lightning hatchling. "I barely know her, and she already feels like the most important dragon in my life. So pure and full of life, something you can't teach to anyone. It makes my mind calm to hold her like this, making me feel like her guardian angel. It feels like I'm sitting on top of the world. I… I'm grateful that you brought me along."

"It was my pleasure, little brother," Avala returned the smirk. "Just, don't be afraid to seek out help from those who care about you. You saw how Tess was earlier. She adores you enough to cry when you can't come to see her."

Tango bit back a laugh. "I figured as much. I'll probably have to start visiting more often after seeing her get upset like that. Broke my heart to see her cry. Never thought I'd feel that way, but I did."

As he finished speaking, Tess began squirming in his grasp followed shortly by small grunts and moans of discomfort laced with fear. Almost acting on parental instinct, Tango started cradling the poor dragoness into a slow, methodical rock.

"Shh…it's okay, I've got you," He whispered gently into her ears as his muzzle brushed against her tiny neck. "Don't be scared. Fight it."

Tesyla slowly began to calm down, her muzzle opening wide in a ferocious, quiet roar as she snuggled back into his chest, nourishing the heat that radiated off Tango's body. Her nightmares were beaten and her sleep undisturbed. A happy coo escaping from her lips.

"That's a good girl," Tango silently praised, as he laid her back onto the cushion. "You rest easy now, I'll protect you."

"Good job," Avala praised. "I see mom's tactic has rubbed off on you."

"Maybe just a little bit," He smiled. "But, helping with the nightmares, I got that from you. Those nights I had bad moments were made better by you watching over me. It has helped push me in the right direction towards salvation."

Avala smiled at his kind praise. "Well, it's good to see you finally taking the steps in the right direction. To help someone with their issues is a good stepping stone to begin fixing your own issues."

"If taking a step in the right direction means helping hatchlings with their nightmares, then I don't see any reason why I wouldn't plant more stepping stones," Tango said proudly. "Besides, it's nice to give back every once and a while by just simply helping, even if they aren't family."

"Anyone that puts in the effort to see you happy, regardless of blood, should be seen as a family in your eyes. Mom, dad, myself, Tess, your best friend Osiris, Evict, Master Volteer…"

 _Kyza…_

"Thank you, Avala," Tango said instead. "I'd be lost without you."

"No, little brother…" Avala shook her head. "Thank you for opening up about something that hurts to talk about, and for making my life sweeter."

"I've been hoping for you to finally ask for a long time," Tango said. "But stupid complications made thinking about it difficult."

"Well, hopefully, we can get that taken care of before it gets worse. And we'll do it together, as a family."

Tango sighed heavily, liking the sound of her statement. He shifted his gaze back down upon Tess, smirking at the way she was pressed against his chest. Running the back of a claw against her cheek, down her neck, and onto her shoulder, feeling her shiver slightly under his touch.

"Have you ever thought about who your parents were?" Avala asked gently. "The topic of where you came from just got me thinking about it."

Tango nodded immediately, not taking his eyes off the baby electric dragoness. "Spyro and Cynder will always be called dad and mom. Nothing is ever going to change that, but I still think about who my birth parents could have been from time to time. I barely remember hearing them when I was still in my egg, but never saw what they looked like."

"Ever thought about searching just for the sake of finding closure?"

"Every once and a while if I'm feeling really down about it," Tango replied, his voice slow and barely a whisper. "But I've never found any legitimate reason to look for that lost chapter in my life. That's just more things I would have to worry about. And I got over that heartache a long time ago."

"What if they are still looking for you?"

"After nearly nineteen years? I doubt it. Besides, if they didn't want any of this to happen, they should've been there for me when I needed them most," Tango cautioned, slightly agitated. His voice barely a whisper.

"But don't you think you should put in some effort to at least give them closure? To let them know that their child is alive and safe?"

"No, because they lost the right to call me their child after abandoning me for seven fu-…," He twisted his muzzle, restraining himself from finishing his sentence. "Spyro and Cynder are my parents now. If my birth family wants to try and find me, they can go right ahead. Also, where would they even start looking? Warfang is far away from the Whispering Wilds, they'd be fortunate to even stumble upon me."

Avala sighed in acceptance, not wanting to push the limit further than she already did, never realizing it had this kind of effect on him. She could see that it did hurt him by the moisture building in the corner of his eyes.

Did he really not care about his birth family that much?

Something about that last sentence seemed off to him. It played back again in his head, still not making the slightest amount of sense. The Whispering Wilds was indeed a whole day worth of flying away, but there were no villages in-between. So, his birth parents could have easily found him by now, yet they didn't make themselves known, or they just weren't looking hard enough. But his adopted parents found him in a single day by some stroke of luck. Nothing about that seemed realistic, yet it happened.

Almost like they were following the direction of someone or something.

 _What have Mom and Dad been hiding from me?_

* * *

 **A/N: I couldn't just let this sit in my documents any longer! I put in too much time and effort in my free time during this training evolution that I didn't want to sit around any longer. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to bring in a beta-reader to assist me with little corrections and adding some more spice to my work, just to give it more character.**

 **My beta-reader goes by the pen name, _TheDragonPhylakas_. He is also a writer in the fandom with one story called, _The Link to Connect Them All_. It's a slightly modern take on the Spyro genre, but I assure you, it is well worth the read. Be warned though, it is in the Rated M section of the fandom, so viewer discretion is advised. The rating is primarily for swearing and violence, but other than that, I find it to be a story well worth reading. **

**Also, SURPRISE, this is Update One of Two! Chapter 9 will be posted in a week or so to let this chapter be read by viewers. Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter and I will catch you all in the next one!**

 **Atlas FF Out!**


	10. Truth Lies Behind Closed Doors

**Act I : Rising Storm Within**

 **Chapter 9**

 **Truth Lies Behind Closed Doors**

* * *

Each of the four sunrises and four sunsets since Tango's visit to the nursery seemed to blur together into one. They sped way too fast for his liking, each of the bright, sunny days with the occasional drizzle as uneventful as the previous. All of which happened to fall on a school day, a place the young drake attended with dread and annoyance. His mind would wander off into a different plane of thought with every passing class.

All that he could think of was his special visit with Tess, the many hours of fun they shared and the nap she took nestled in his arms. The conversation he had with his sister lingered in his mind too, but not a single regret followed it. Having that one extra unique individual in his life know more about his past didn't make him feel hurt. On the contrary, it made his heart flutter with reassurance.

But at some point in every one of these four dreadful days, his mind would revert back to that conversation regarding his birth parents, and that final sentence that ended it over and over again. It felt like he was stuck in a time loop, thanking and cursing his mind at the same time for his unexpected conclusion, that had him contemplating his doubts ever since.

 _"Warfang is far away from the Whispering Wilds, they'd be fortunate to even stumble upon me,"_ He had said to his sister.

It echoed in his head as Tango paced slowly around his room, still trying to think of something, anything, that could give a legitimate reason to his multitude of questions. But he was continuously coming up short, his potential answers sounding more make-believe and from a fantasy novel than a logical conclusion that could be proved.

With each snail-paced loop he made in his room, his gaze would pan across the doorway, hoping that his answers would break it down; or at least come knocking. But it sadly never happened. Yet, it gave him a massive relief off his shoulders when a pound on his door didn't come. Because it gave him more time to put his mind to another question that dawdled in his head.

 _What have my parents been hiding from me?_

From the day his parents showed up at his shelter in the Whispering Wilds, to this very moment in time, Tango never had to question anything they told him. He just took what they said and assumed nothing but the truth. Though, now that he started questioning the legitimacy of the so-called coincidence that was his discovery, it made him ponder everything else they ever said to him.

His heart refused to bear the concept of them lying to him, but his brain was saying otherwise, that they could have been shedding the truth from him this whole time. He shook his head vigorously, forcing himself not to quickly resort to such a rushed accusation, yet the thought still loitered.

Tango let out a huge sigh, walking up to his door as he did. "I guess there is only one way to find out." He mumbled to himself.

With a gentle grasp and pull, the lightning drake opened his door and stepped into the hallway before closing it behind him, making sure to hear the smooth clicking action of the door latch. He peered across the thirty-foot hall, seeing his sister's room with the door shut, wondering if she should be involved. But he shook his head, deducing he had bothered her enough to concern her further.

Opting to take a long way, he trudged slowly along the hallway taking deep, calm breaths to compensate for his heart pounding harder and harder the closer he got to his parent's room. With each step up the long stairs, he heard his heart up in his throat. The moment his bright blue eyes took in the sight of his parents door, he froze. His body practically reeked uncertainty, and he trembled in his own scales, the anxiety had him tuck his tail between his legs.

Taking a large inhale and gulping down his fear, Tango approached his parent's door in long, hesitant strides coming to a stop mere inches from the handle. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for. Only a door separated him from quenching his thirst for answers, and with a loud exhale, he convinced himself to knock three times.

"Mom? Dad? Are you guys here?"

Pressing his cheek to the door, he strained his ears to try and pick up any disturbance in the room, but couldn't hear anything; not even a shuffle of paws or shifting of furniture. Sighing a little disappointment, he knocked a few more times, hoping and praying silently that they answered. His desire to find answers eating him away like a colony of termites on a log.

His head and tail slumped to the floor, upon the realization that he wasn't getting his answers today. The poor lightning drake began to turn away when he heard a lock latch emanate from his parent's door. Quickly snapping his head back, he saw his father sticking his head out into the hallway.

Spyro looked like he had just woken up from sleeping, even though the sun had been up for a few hours. His violet eyes rested on his son and immediately perked up.

"Tango? What's up?" He asked with a yawn.

"Can we talk… please? Is Mom in there too?" Tango replied immediately, his voice sounding almost desperate.

"Yes, yes, of course," Spyro nodded quickly, fully opening the door. "Come in."

Tango hesitated for a brief second before taking a couple of cautious steps into his parent's bedroom, his father closing the door behind him. He took in the room quickly, having been in it on more than one occasion.

It was circular in shape with bookcases, tables, mirrors, portraits, and other assorted decorations covering a majority of the walls. A large opening in the back led out to a private balcony with a pergola where the two mates shared many special moments, a lot of them involving wines and other brews, along with the company of a romantic view. The highlight of the couple's room, as expected, was a circular platform with a step all the way around where their large, luxurious bed rested.

Cynder was laying on the bed with an open book in paw, her eyes glued to the pages, yet oblivious to her son's entry. A generous cough from her mate pulled her emerald gaze away from the literature, a warm smile immediately spreading across her features at the sight of her child.

"Tango! Good morning, sweetie," Cynder said warmly. But her face quickly shifted into worry at seeing how preoccupied Tango seemed. "What's wrong? You look… distant."

Tango swallowed heavily as he looked up at his father, who inclined his head in the direction of the bed, inviting the young dragon to lay down. The yellow nodded and walked gingerly towards the bed, plopping down in front of his mother, feeling the soft, silk of the bed covers against his belly.

Spyro took his spot next to Cynder, both of their expressions filled with more worry, unsure of the distress that clearly filled their young child's body. His eyes averted their own intentionally; apparently a lot of talking was going on upstairs in his mind.

"Tango…?" Cynder pressed carefully. "Are you doing okay?"

His teal-blue eyes finally settled on them, his mouth slightly open, many words demanding to be released beat at the back of his teeth. Just to give himself a few more seconds at collecting his thoughts, he nodded his head.

"If you're okay… then why do you seem distressed?"

Tango knew the immediate answer to his father's question, it involves the possibility of his parents holding back the real truth of his discovery in the Whispering Wilds. But he couldn't bring himself to muster that kind of course just yet. Something of that stature needed to be developed naturally.

 _That's something I need to ease myself into carefully. There's no telling what hidden truth they're hiding._

"I'm actually fine. It's just…," Tango finally mumbled. "I've had a lot on my mind recently, and I just needed a release from it, if I'm completely honest with myself."

"Are you sure you're alright? You really do look like your stressed about something," His father deduced, always one to volunteer first, when it came to the well-being of others. "Talk to us, son. Let's figure things out."

"Like I said, I've been thinking about a lot of things, most of the random, but others a little more serious," Tango said. "I just needed a pair of listening ears. Figured you would help me out the best."

His parents looked at each other worryingly, leaning closer to their distraught youngling, their ears intent and focused on him, ready to receive whatever was giving his mind troublesome thoughts.

"When Avala and I were at the nursery, we talked about certain things from my past…," He began, looking each parent in the eye, trying to read their reactions. Surprisingly enough, they seemed relatively stone cold, despite the worried posture they already carried.

"…the part that hurts to talk about."

That brought out a reaction from his folks, their eyes downcasted from a past memory where they too were sadly informed of the horrors that he had endured at such a young age.

"Why did you talk about it then?" Spyro asked curiously. "If something like that hurts you, why cause yourself more mental pain?"

"I wasn't sure about it at first, but I remembered something Avala said to me, something that stuck," Tango answered. "She said, 'we can never fight our inner battles alone. I will always be there to fight them with you. Not for you…'"

"But with you," Cynder finished his sentence, nodding her head approvingly. "We taught her that years ago when you were still adjusting to the house and this new life. We never told her about the life you lived, just that you were going to be scared of the new surroundings. Of course, she believed it without question."

"It's nice to see that she is still using it for a completely different reason," Spyro, also inclining his head with praise. "But we've also talked about this, Tango. What makes you want to talk about it again?"

"Did Avala ask something else? Maybe something a little more personal?"

 _Yes!_

"No," Tango quivered, trying to maintain a lie he knew that he couldn't keep. "But I still thought about something that I wanted to ask. I've wanted to inquire about it for a while, but I haven't…" His voice drifted, uncertainty picking at his scales, unsure if this was still such a good idea.

"Tango? We're your parents," Spyro reassured his child. "You don't have to be afraid to ask or share things with us."

Tango acknowledged with a quick series of nods. "I know, but… it's more of a matter of respect rather than being afraid."

"Sweetheart," Cynder spoke softly, leaning further towards the smaller dragon, her face inches from his muzzle. "It's very admirable of you to be respectful, but you can share these things with us. Just speak with your heart, okay?"

"Okay," Tango whispered, sniffing his nose before getting a soft kiss on his forehead, speaking with his heart was something he was especially keen on doing. "Umm… have you two ever thought about…"

He stopped himself, shifting awkwardly, still undecided about asking. But he felt it in his stomach that it was time. So, after seeing the heartening gazes of his parents, he pressed himself to try again.

"Have you ever thought about who your parents were?"

The sudden silence that filled the room made the air feel heavy to breathe, and his scales felt hot like a wildfire. It seemed like that was the kind of question that was better left unasked, but his parents didn't show any initial reaction to his words. He couldn't tell if it was shock or if it was instant relief that he didn't ask a different question.

"Well…," Tango mumbled kindly. "Was I wrong for the asking?"

His mother was the one to answer, his father was looking downcast, his violet spheres bouncing around the bed cushion. Tango could see that this question did have more of an effect on him than his mother, but there was still a little hurt across her features.

"You're not wrong for asking, Tango," Cynder answered gently, rubbing the back of her mate's neck. "It's just something we both came to terms with a long time ago. Not something we really… enjoy speaking about daily, you know?"

"Oh…," Tango understood sadly. "Did you find something out that is hard to live with?" He hoped that he wouldn't share the same fate, for sure.

Both parents nodded at him, their eyes filled with hurt at a personal memory that they preferred to be buried deep in the ground rather than dug up for the world to see. But what Tango's father said next astonished him.

"You remember the stories I told you about Ignitus, right? The ones I used to tuck you in every night when you were little?" Spyro asked calmly.

Tango replied with a nod, smiling briefly. "Those were some of my favorite stories. Makes me wish I was a little kid all over again just so I can hear them again for the first time."

"Mine too," Spyro smiled happily. "But I could never be able to describe to you what it was like to experience any type of moment with him. It was hard on me for a long time after he passed on, but I learned to not see his loss as a negative. So, I just remembered his lessons and all of our talks and created a happier memory of him. Now it feels like I've never been without him even though I am, does that make sense?"

"Yes," Tango answered quickly. "Just like Uncle Sparx, right? He's still alive but lives far away. I could imagine that not seeing him probably has a similar effect."

"Sometimes I wish he didn't return to the dragonfly village, just hearing him bicker with Cynder made me smile every day. But after your mother and I started courting, he just got more and more distant. Until one day, he said his goodbyes and left. Now, he just makes occasional visits, but you knew that already," Spyro spoke warmly. "But he's happy, so I'm happy too. We still write occasionally, but it's not the same. Nothing can fill that void in my heart."

"Life sucks," Tango groaned. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything, even if there are a lot of missing gaps that need to be filled."

"Then let's be the great parents we are and help fill some of them," Cynder insisted, smiling at Spyro with an encouraging nod. "Do you want to know about your adopted grandparents?"

The lightning dragon inclined his head with interest, finally feeling a little more at ease with his own thoughts. Letting his parents take the floor for a little bit would help him formulate his questions; the real issues he's been wanting to ask them.

"Do you want me to go first, or would you rather start?" Spyro asked Cynder, looking over at his black scaled counterpart.

"The stage is all yours," Cynder replied, nudging her mates flank with her wing. Spyro grinned at her before beginning his story.

"A few months after the war ended, citizens sent in letters from every corner of the dragon realms. All of them giving their thanks and appreciation to us for protecting them against the darkness. The two of us were practically buried in these letters for weeks, reading them for what felt like an eternity. A couple of them asking to be my mate…," He glared slyly at Cynder, who rolled her eyes. "Of course, she got some too."

"Easy buster, I still have those letters as insurance," she playfully warned.

"Anyway…," Spyro dragged on. "Despite all these letters, there was one that stood out above the rest. One that I just couldn't stop thinking about even days after reading it."

Tango listened to his father's story with high interest, taking solace in the warmth that washed over him like a soft blanket, securing him with a deep sense of serenity.

"Upon reading this letter, I knew something was special about this individual because unlike the other letters that all bore the same message of gratitude; this letter was a genuine apology for a failure that this individual claimed to be responsible for on the night the old temple was attacked. He apologized because he wasn't able to defend the eggs, as well as his own ego, from the raid. He was trying to take the full weight of the blame on his shoulders, which I immediately wasn't supporting whatsoever."

"So what did you do?"

"I took it upon myself to learn more about this dragon. So, I searched the old archives with the enlisted help of Master Volteer, and soon enough, we discovered the identity of this individual. It took us a while because we only had a name and elemental type to work with. But, after cross-referencing what we already knew with individuals that had eggs in the old temple, we found a match. His name was Avalon, a fire drake, a former temple guard, and the only one to have fathered a purple dragon egg. That's when I learned he was my father."

"But what about your mother? Did you search for her as well?" He watched the immediate pain fill his father's eyes, signifying a part of his family history he didn't like sharing.

"Unfortunately, my mother had passed away a few months after the attack simply from heartbreak over the loss of my egg," Spyro said, his voice filled with sadness. "She was an earth dragoness named Nyrinne. From what I read, she was buried in her birth village, where my father resided for a long time after her death. That's when I realized that I needed to reach out to him, to let him know that I received his message. But your mother convinced me to physically go and visit him. A decision I have yet to regret to this very day."

Cynder smiled at her mate, leaning over and nuzzling him under the chin, planting a quick peck on the cheek, causing Tango to flush with a little bit of embarrassment.

"And did you find him?"

Spyro nodded. "We found him sitting beside my mother's gravestone an hour after we landed thanks to the kind residents in the village. The moment we made eye contact, it didn't take him ten seconds to wrap his wings around me and embrace me for the very first time. The poor guy cried in my shoulder for a while, of course, I did as well. We talked and shared stories for four days before Cynder, and I returned to Warfang. And for the next eleven years, I saw my father more and more often, we exchanged letters, and made up for all the lost time. He was excited to hear about us having our first egg, just because he wanted to be called grandpa."

Tango scoffed a laugh. "Where is he now?"

"Sadly, he was killed a couple months before Avala was born. He and thirteen other villagers perished in a landslide that wiped out a small portion of the village. It took me two days to find him and a couple more days to find myself afterward. His last action was shielding a small drake from the slide; that young dragon still lives today because of my dad. He never got to meet his granddaughter, but we still shared his story with her even taking her to visit his grave."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Dad," Tango sympathized. "He sounds like he was an amazing father. Wish he was still around, I'd have loved to meet him."

"Thank you, son," Spyro breathed shakily, a stream of tears running rampant down his cheeks. "Just know, that if he were still here with us today, he'd love you just as much as your mother and I do."

Tango nodded his understanding as he pulled himself to his paws, approaching his father and hugging him as tightly as he could. It hurt to know that his father lost someone, especially after many years of being unaware of their existence. And to see someone of his stature crumble like rain eroding a mountainside made him feel an even stronger connection with this fatherly figure, knowing that even the toughest had feelings too.

 _Thank you, Grandpa Avalon, for bringing this particular person into my life._

"Besides the Guardians, Avalon was the first dragon to accept Cynder for who she is and not for who she was," Spyro whispered. "It was her choice to name our first born after him, one that I had undying support for."

They shared a respectful moment of silence between each other, sending silent prayers up to the Ancestors to watch over them and all of their loved ones. Tango prayed that his parents had the answers he was seeking, but before those questions could receive their great reply, there was one more thing he wanted to know.

"What about your parents, Mom? Did you ever find them?"

Cynder's expression turned grim faster than his father's, the two trading uncomfortable glances with each other. Spyro nodded reassuringly, grasping one of her paws and firmly squeezing.

"Well, after we found Avalon and reunited him with Spyro, I started getting curious about my own family. But, unlike your father, I didn't receive any letters, no couriers, not even a falcon messenger. So, my search was far more strenuous than I would have hoped. But I kept searching, and searching, and searching, until one day, I just stopped."

"You gave up?" Tango asked perplexedly, his eyes full of confusion. "Why?"

"Because I started believing that they wanted nothing to do with the dragoness behind the genocide of thousands. Masters Cyril and Terrador understood my grief-stricken decision-making and left me to grieve on my own, but I still felt their support. But two dragons never gave up, not even after I did."

"Master Volteer and Dad."

The black dragoness nodded. "They continued the search for weeks, going through every scroll and piece of parchment regarding the Year of the Dragon and the old Temple. It broke my heart into more and more pieces for every day they didn't uncover anything. Yet, they kept their hopes up, constantly stressing that they would gift me with some form of closure."

"Did they?"

Cynder didn't reply with words, but with actions. She took to her feet and moved nimbly towards a nearby desk where she pulled open a drawer. She retrieved a small piece of parchment and a picture frame and returned to her family. With a smooth motion, she placed the piece of paper in front of Tango, her inviting gaze instructing him to open, before retaking her place next to her mate.

Tango was hesitant to open the letter, knowing that this was the answer to his question. But with a delicate touch, his paw opened the folds, revealing the cursive message that consumed almost the entirety of its surface.

 _To our beloved child,_

 _We are sending this letter from the island of Shylon located in the Eastern Sea. My name is Evander, I'm your father, young one. Your mother is sitting next to me as I write this letter. Her name is Valerie._

 _It has come to our attention that you've been in desperate search to find your lost family. After everything that happened in the old dragon temple, we assumed the worst had occurred and that we had lost our only child. But learning the news that you're alive, fills out hearts with joy._

 _We're very sorry for what happened to you after that tragic night, and we understand that it was against your will. You can thank your mate, Spyro, and Lightning Guardian Master Volteer for explaining everything to us in the letters they sent. It breaks our hearts to know of the pain that you endured and the cruel actions you were forced to commit. But we wanted to let you know that all is forgiven. To think that someone could break a child's will and force them to atrocious acts is very hard to stomach._

 _We hope that you can find forgiveness in us for not attempting to seek you out. It shattered our old hearts to realize we'd been depriving you of our unconditional love for so long. We pray that you can discover it in your heart to make a trip out here to Shylon. Until that day arrives, we commissioned this portrait for you and your family._

 _We love and miss you dearly,_

 _Mom and Dad_

Tango retracted his eyes from the thoughtful parchment and found a relatively large picture frame of two shadow dragons staring down at a lone, black egg. He immediately recognized Valorie, because she looked exactly like his mother. Evander was stockier and far more significant in size than his mate, but he still carried his loving gaze at the precious, fragile egg that rested at their paws.

"Did you fulfill that desire to go see them?"

Cynder nodded happily. "It took a lot of convincing and self-motivation, but I eventually told myself that I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't make that trip. So, Spyro and I left for a month to the Island of Shylon, Home of the Shadow Dragons. The best reunion I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing."

"Are they still living there?" Tango asked curiously.

"No, Tango. They aren't," his father mumbled gently. "They've passed on as well."

"What happened?" Tango pressed with concern.

Cynder sighed heavily, collecting her words before dipping her head. Her eyes remained closed as her maw opened with words.

"The people of Shylon suffered great losses when I was still under Malefor's corruption, a lot of those losses I committed," Cynder responded, her voice shuddering. "Once they connected the dots and found out where my parents lived, they took all of their frustrations and anger for me and brought that wrath down upon my parents. An angry mob formed outside their residence demanding that they pack up and leave. Friends, neighbors, and victims of my actions yelled their hatred. After my family refused, the mob stormed the house and killed my father right in front of my mother, spitting horrible, inhospitable words as they tore him apart. They spared her life, but left their mark on her chest in the form of lashings and permanently crippled her wings. Guards came and made their arrests, putting my mother under the Shylon Council's protective services. No one could get to her, and no one dared either. Their savage desire for vengeance fulfilled."

Cynder's gaze turned hazy, the moisture building in the corners, threatening to drip at any second. "I had given birth to your sister's egg a week before my dad was murdered. I was so excited to tell them they were going to be grandparents."

Tango silently gasped to himself, receiving an understanding nod from his father.

"My mother lived without my Dad's love and guidance in her final years. I was making plans to visit her when I received a falcon with a message. It was a condolence letter from the Shylon Council. My… my mother had been found in her home with her throat slashed, an apparent suicide. Avala was just getting old enough to start traveling long distances, about three years old. I was gonna surprise my widowed mother with her granddaughter. Telling a three-year-old about the death of a family member is harder than commanding a thousand armies."

Tango's shoulders sagged. He lived with the most significant family in the entire world, but he would never get to meet the ones that brought these two amazing figures into the world in the first place. He didn't share any sort of blood connection with them, but hearing of their passings still stung.

"Don't be sad, sweetheart," Cynder begged, nuzzling Tango's head soothingly. "I can't stand to see you upset."

Tango nodded his head, trying his best not to let his emotions take control of him. "How did you cope after you lost them?"

"After finding our parents and having them back in lives, you can probably guess that it was incredibly hard on the two of us to lose them all within a matter of years."

"We all lose special individuals in our lives, but how we cope with that loss is different. When I first lost my dad, I felt orphaned and frustrated with the world, blaming the environment for taking my father away from me. So, I took everything I knew and disappeared into the wilderness for a few days, and tried to find myself all over again," Spyro explained. "I quickly discovered that I physically couldn't seek vengeance against something I knew was an accident, so I let those inner impurities go after I returned to your mother."

Tango nodded, turning his attention to his mother. "Mom? What did you do?"

"After we buried my mom next to my dad, Spyro left for home while I stayed in Shylon for an additional few weeks, dealing with their belongings and getting the house taken care of," Cynder recounted. "When it was my time to return home, I took an indirect route, allowing myself to deal with my grievances. But that's when I learned that we can never fight our inner turmoils alone. By the time I had that figured out, there was a little ice blue dragoness sleeping snugly here on this very bed, about where you're laying now. My world was pulled back together the moment I laid eyes on my little baby girl. But I still feel the loving presence of my parents wherever I go."

"It reminds me of a difficult time during the war. Moments before I pulled the world back together, Ignitus's spirit came to me after he had sacrificed himself in the Belt of Fire. He told me that when a dragon dies, they do not truly leave this world. Their spirit lives on, binding itself with nature, offering hope for the future," Spyro added solemnly, missing his mentor and best friend. "So if you're feeling lost, just remember that you are never alone. Allow the Ancestor's to help guide you through your troubles."

Everything that his sister ever told him began to come around full circle. All the reassurances, all the perseverance, and all of the unconditional love Avala ever shared came first and foremost from his parent's misfortunes of losing their parents to accidents.

He almost felt convinced to just leave his parents for the remainder of the day, unsure if asking them about his own parents would be appropriate for the present situation. But the voices in his head kept reminding him, almost threateningly, to seek the truth from Spyro and Cynder.

If you continue down this path, you will find the answers you're seeking, but you may see their response to be far more painful than any wound can ever inflict.

Tango shivered in his own scales, his eyes turning almost pure white at the creepiness of the voice in his head, even though they were nothing more than his own thoughts sounding in his own voice.

"You alright son?" Spyro asked curiously, gently shaking his child's shoulder. "You look like you saw a ghost."

The lightning drake nodded his muzzle, biting his lip in discomfort. The voice continued to nag at his brain, literally feeding his larynx with the questions to ask, but he desperately fought to choke them down. He screwed his eyes shut, feeling a headache set into his skull, a pulsating throb beating inside his forehead.

He pressed a paw to his face, gently massaging his brow, breathing a soft sigh as the throbbing sensation dissipated from his head. The time to ask his parents was now, no going back, no stalling, and no fear. This task needed to be accomplished by any means necessary.

"I have to confess something to you guys," Tango said slowly. "When you asked me if Avala asked me anything else a bit more personal, I'll admit that I wasn't telling you the truth. I lied and had the stones to stand up for it."

"We know," Cynder sighed. "We taught you lots of things, but lying was never one of them. You couldn't get a lie past us no matter how hard you tried."

"Why didn't you tell us the first time?" Spyro answered the moment his mate finished. "Something happen during that discussion that made you want to maintain some form of secrecy?"

"More or less," Tango murmured.

"So, why the deception?" Cynder questioned, her voice appropriately stern and coated with authority. "Is there something that you don't feel comfortable sharing with us?"

Tango simply shook his head. "I think you both have every right to know. But I knew that asking was going to prove challenging, so I delayed the inevitable until I simply couldn't let it sit on my conscience anymore."

"What did Avala ask you?"

"She asked me if I ever thought about my own birth parents," Tango admitted, feeling a huge weight finally lift off his back. "And what I told her wasn't the complete truth. Not a single day goes by where they aren't somewhere in my thoughts, roaming freely, taunting me to keep my mind preoccupied with them."

"But…," Cynder pressed, knowing that she didn't hear the full truth.

"But, it got me delving deeper into my subconscious than I had ever dared to go," Tango said simply. "The thoughts that I discovered were dangerous, unpredictable, and bearing no remorse."

"So, you brought up the topic of our parents to rescue your own thoughts?" Spyro asked, not showing his cards, but not doing his best at trying to hide them either. "Why?"

"I needed a way to bring up the topic with ease. Diving right in would've been like trying to jump head first through a stone wall. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere fast, and I'd be dealing with an even bigger headache." He forced himself to his feet, settling himself on solid ground.

"Are you admitting to using our hardships and suffering losses to promote your own agenda?" Cynder challenged.

If Tango was entirely honest with himself, unleashing the anger that was building in his mother's chest wasn't foreseen. But he quickly realized that if he was going to get what he wanted, he was going to have to drop the peaceful approach.

"I'm not despicable!" Tango exclaimed. "I actually wanted to know how you coped in life without a parent. What I wasn't expecting, was the reveal of my adopted grandparents that you've kept from me."

"We don't keep things from you, Tango," Cynder explained. "You just don't ask. If you don't ask us something, we don't have to tell. We don't mean to sound harsh, but that's just how things work."

"So why all the secrecy and deception?"

"You'd be mindful to watch your tongue. You're treading dangerously close to grounds you'd be wise not to get yourself into," Spyro warned.

"No, father, I think I do," Tango shot back. "If it means getting some sort of answer out of you."

"I thought you wanted to ask about your birth parents?"

"I wouldn't be in this room if I didn't want to know about my birth parents."

Tango argued his case, his voice rising to a near shout. "In fact, I started getting ill thoughts after hearing your heartbreaking stories about your own parents and the hardships you endured. But then I realized I couldn't beat this dead horse any longer. I needed the answers to the questions that have been gnawing at my head since the nursery visit."

Both of his parents were taken back by his sudden outburst, never before had they seen him argue for something like this, especially with such ferocity. But they didn't snap back, that was something they learned a long time ago, that you can't put out a raging inferno with a fire of your own. Instead, they replied as softly and as gently as their voices could muster.

"What do you want to ask, Tango?" Spyro said first.

Tango fumed furiously, taking a long series of deep breaths, bringing his anger and building rage to an even playing field. He was stunned that his emotions had dialed up to anger he hadn't tapped into in years. But it worked! His parents submitted to him. Now was his chance, his moment, to ask them for the truth.

"Did you ever search for them at any point?" His question rolled off his tongue with ease, any past uncertainty dissipated like mist.

"Yes, during the process of adopting you, we had to prove you were indeed orphaned and without immediate family. But no one came forward during the one month available to anyone that dared to appeal our right to adopt you. Besides the orphanage of course, but I'm sure you know of that failed attempt."

"Avala took the liberty of making me well aware," Tango breathed, picking at one of his claws with disinterest. _Of course, they'd talk about this._

"Other than that, we reached out to outlying villages near where you were found, but no one acknowledged their potential possession over you. Signed your adoption papers on the morning of the thirty-first day."

"Very well, at least you tried," the yellow drake said blandly. _Well, that was a dead end! I need a different approach._

"If we could revert back to your visit to the nursery real quick," Spyro asserted. "What did Avala have to say about you not caring about your birth family?"

 _Read my mind, father!_

"Firstly, Avala asked me if I should put in some effort to give my parents some sort of closure, to let them know that I'm alive and safe," Tango began, clicking his tongue. "But, being as ignorant and stubborn as I can get, I said if they want to find me, they can go right ahead; because it didn't matter to me what they were feeling."

"But wouldn't that only hurt you more in the long run if you didn't try and look for them?"

"Maybe the Tango from a few days ago would've answered with something foolish and ignorant to that question," Tango growled. "But I recently had a revelation that changed my attitude. That's when I started asking myself these questions. For instance, why haven't my birth parents found me yet? It's been over ten years, where's my letter? Where's the closure that I seek?"

"They could've gotten lost, searched the surrounding villages, or they've given up their search altogether," Spyro slowly listed after giving the question some thought. "But that's just my belief. I am sure there are dozens of other reasons."

"All likely possibilities, but none of them make sense to me," Tango pointed out. "Like the first assumption about them getting lost. In my opinion, you technically can't get lost if you never had a destination set in mind in the first place. So that takes that possibility out of play for that reason alone."

Tango didn't even wait for a counterargument as he set into his next batch of reasoning. But he did notice his father swallow with subtlety. Something the lightning drake was saying clearly opened something in the purple drake's thoughts. So he continued to delve even deeper with a bit of restraint.

"Riddle me this, Warfang is roughly a full days flight from the Whispering Wilds, yes." His parents nodded. "But there are no villages in-between here and there, meaning my parents could have easily stumbled upon the city by a complete accident and still would've been able to find me. Yet, here I remain in this home with this family. After ten years, if I might add."

This time, his mother adjusted her position with the support from the multitude of pillows that littered the bed. Nothing about what she layed on should've made her feel uncomfortable. Tango was now starting to see that they didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"What about the last reason?"

"A parent never gives up on their children," Tango stated with a hard stare. "Nothing in this world would stop a parent from looking for their lost child either. They'll move cities, level mountain ranges, and drain oceans until that youngling is reunited with them. Am I wrong or is it just select parents that do that?"

"You speak with logic and have a decent hold on some common sense," Cynder mumbled. "But your methods of sharing information can be better if you weren't so condescending."

"If I had kept on talking sweet and acting like I didn't care about this, you would never be straight up with me. You'd beat around the bush while I'm trying to go for the roots," Tango reasoned, his voice raised and his eyes defiant. "Which is why I'm a little condescending because I believe you're hiding something from me. And I have every right to know!"

"We're not hiding anything from you, Tango! You're way in over your head about this. This needs to stop. Please," Cynder begged, the hurt finally reaching her gaze. "We do the things we do to protect you."

"Protect me?" Tango scoffed. "Hiding information is not protection for the one receiving, it's for the one giving it. Keeping this from me is doing you more harm than you think because don't think I haven't been reading you this entire time. I know I was striking all sorts of nerves. Actions speak louder than words."

 _What are you doing, Tango? These two raised you since you were seven. You can't break them down like this! It's not right. They deserve better! Don't say something that you will later come to regret. Whatever wounds you create now may never heal! Please don't put yourself through this emotional torture anymore!_

Tango moved away from them, pacing back and forth trying to maintain a strong front. The inner angels and demons starting a war in his mind. He was collapsing in on himself, his very foundation of reasoning crumbling beneath him. Yet, his train of thought finally hit him with a saving miracle. His paws halted as he squared his shoulders directly as his parents.

 _They're still hiding something that you deserve to know. Just look at how guilt-ridden they are? If they really loved you, they'd tell you everything! You'd better say something now while you have control of the reins. If this is so important to you, bending them to your will be easy. Unless you're too big of a coward?!_

"How did you find me that night?"

"What?"

"The night you found me on the verge of death outside the Whispering Wilds," Tango jabbed through gritted teeth. "How did you find me? Because it couldn't have been by some stroke of luck. Neither of you could've made that sound believable."

Both of his parents were lost for words, looking into each other's eyes, seeing the fearful dilation of their pupils surrounded by white. They knew something that they didn't want to share, but Tango had them on the end of a thin rope, threatening to let go if his question wasn't answered.

 _Gotcha!_

"Well…!" Tango demanded, almost spat.

Spyro and Cynder still remained silent, trying their damnedest to recollect and rebuild their collapsing thoughts. But while Spyro somehow managed to maintain his bearing, Cynder sighed in utter defeat, looking at her baby with a sad face.

"Tell me now!"

"It wasn't by some stroke of luck that we found you that unforgettable night," Cynder admitted, closing her eyes in shame.

"Cynder!" Spyro hissed under his breath, begging her to stay quiet. "What are you doing? He can't know about them! We vowed to keep this information a secret!"

 _Them!_

Tango felt his chest seize and his stomach turned itself entirely inside out. His parents knew about his birth parents the whole time. It felt like his beating heart was ready to burst from his rib cage. He couldn't have predicted a bigger betrayal than this. Now his mind was reverting back to before he knocked on their door. All this time, he had been living under a roof of lies and deception, committed by the ones he thought he could trust.

"He would've found out sooner or later," Cynder replied blandly. "We can't keep hiding behind this curtain of lies forever. Besides, I think it's time we told him everything. We owe it to his parents, and we owe it to him. The truth deserves to be brought to light."

Spyro groaned but chose not to argue with her decision. His whole body slumped in defeat, the realization that what he had been hiding all these years was finally rearing its ugly face, mocking him and completely breaking his whole foundation to dust. The Legendary Purple Dragon that saved the world was also a liar and a cheat.

"What do you mean them?"

Tango shuddered as his mother looked him directly in the eye, the unbelievable amount of hurt covering the entire surface of her once beautiful, trustworthy eyes revealed the stranger beneath. He could see that this has been eating at her the most, keeping the truth from one of the two things that kept her grounded: her little electric dragon.

"I'm so sorry, Tango," Cynder rasped. "We should've told you the truth from the very beginning."

 _Please don't say it, Mom! Please don't tell me what I think you're going to say! No! This can't be happening! Why did I have to open my mouth?_

"Tango…," Cynder croaked, doing her absolute best not to cry. "It's time we told you the truth about your parents. It's time we told you the truth… about everything. It… all goes back to the Festival of the Saviors nearly eighteen years ago…"

* * *

 **A/N: As promised, here is the second update! Got some nice feedback as well as a few new favorites and follows! I hope I can break fifty and fifty with the next couple of chapters.**

 **I am going to continue to keep you all updated on the progression of chapters via my author page. It's something I've seen on other writer's pages and figured it would be a smart addition to my page as well. I'll be updating it randomly, but at least you guys will have an idea of when the next update will take place.**

 **Finally, I give another big thanks to my Beta-Reader, _TheDrago_** _ **nPhyla** **kas**_ **. Check out his story, _The Link to Connect Them All_**

 **Until next time, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Atlas FF Out!**


	11. A Spectacle of Selflessness

**Act II : Lost Lineage**

 **Chapter 10**

 **A Spectacle of Selflessness**

* * *

 _Eighteen years ago..._

The Festival of the Saviors

Following the defeat of the Dark Master, the thriving city of Warfang held a week-long festival to honor the lives that were lost in service to the protection of the realms. The countless lives, both young and old, cut down by sword and claw, were remembered once more, allowing the families of the fallen not to grieve alone. Everyone that had been laid to their eternal rest got to live again in the form of remembrance.

In the past twelve years did the misfortunate families get to feel the presence of the souls of their deceased loved ones amongst them, they are bound to nature spirits empowering the individuals with an invigorating sense of much-needed resolve. And these heroes were to thank for the utter destruction of the dark armies crumbling to complete nothingness. Without their sheer will power and courage, the city would've surely fallen within a matter of hours and the Dark Master's evil delusion would have been the end for the realms.

While partaking in the Festival of the Saviors, the atmosphere was bittersweet for everyone, joy, and grief intermingled in a potent brew of emotions.

The daylight hours of the festival, dragons, moles, cheetahs and other species alike set aside their differences to honor their fallen and living in the warm embrace of their friends and families. The entire city was engulfed in a festive mood, sparking numerous sporting events like team sparring and racing for the older dragons, and little games and crafts for the younglings. Multiple feasts provided by the Guardians and the Temple staff left everyone's stomachs filled to the brim with content. People would mingle and break bread together, as well as share stories from the war-torn battlefields. The surviving warriors of the valiant struggles from the Dark Master's armies engaged their table mates with tales of their brave exploits and acts of gallantry during these dark times.

But the moment the last few rays of the setting sun, glimmering like golden threads, disappeared a shroud of solemn descended upon the streets, hushing the commotion and seizing all activities.

While some began to turn in for the night, the others took part in special ceremonies, they gathered in the festal decorated forums of the city, thanking the Ancestors and their heroes alike for bringing forth their salvation. Most would bring flowers of a varied color palette and small portraits of their dead kin. In these cherished moments, they'd share stories with citizens to their left and right, learning of their histories and the unfortunate but glorious fates of their deceased family members. Many new friendships were formed in this one festive occasion, allowing people to grieve with someone new, giving them that extra shoulder in the event waterworks occurs. This bonding experience provided the society of Warfang with the necessary consistency to grow stronger, as a unified people, to preserve the peace for generations to come.

The festival would see its end with one last event, where everyone that lost someone close to them launched a single glowing lantern into the night sky, each dedicated to a victim or fallen warrior of this war. Hundreds upon thousands of these differently shaped lanterns lit up the skies above for hours before eventually disintegrating. Citizens would send their final prayers to the Ancestors, asking that they guide and protect their lost family members until they would meet again.

The two heroes that brought Malefor down to his knees indefinitely ending the tyranny of the ancient purple tyrant were, to say the least, a commemorative attraction to this festival. The ones who saw through the end of his evil plague of hate and destruction swiftly at their paws, Spyro and Cynder. They roamed the streets, greeting the families and offering their condolences. Cynder sadly found these events to be especially uncomfortable, learning that some of the deceased had died on her own orders or by her own claws was a tough break for her guilt-ridden soul. Some offensive words were shot towards her but were met with equal or greater amounts of support for Cynder that suppressed them. But it wasn't always like that for the first couple of years.

The once-disgraced black scaled dragoness would live most of her days within the confines of the Temple walls, rarely walking amongst the people, branded with the label of a tainted outsider. Her fear of enduring a physical altercation with an angry citizen always pestered her mind. It broke Spyro's heart to see her be berated for her crimes as the former Terror of the Skies, doing his hardest to make people see Cynder for who she was now rather than what she was forced to be back then. Very few knew of the cruel torment she endured while her mind, body, and soul were under the atrocious corruption that Malefor used to carry out his destructive vision.

When Spyro and Cynder began courting each other, the hate started to subside, as the people trusted Spyro blindly and respected his decision. It didn't take long for others to follow suit, respecting the wishes of their purple scaled savior. Soon enough, Cynder was beginning to see the world and its people in a whole new light. But even then, there was some forgiveness she knew she would never receive no matter how hard she committed to getting it. But at least she could walk the streets with her spirits lifted and her muzzle held high. Redemption was her most cherished feeling next to her undying love for Spyro.

Now twelve years down the line, they are the most essential power couple in the city. The hardest challenges had long faltered, little did they knew though, they were getting their paws deep in unfamiliar territory: parenthood.

Word spread of Cynder laying her egg like a wildfire, each whisper of the hot topic moving from household to household until the entirety of Warfang was made aware of the phenomenal news. The two young dragons were met with overwhelming praise and support, many prayers of good fortune sent in forms of letters and verbal conversation. The happiest day came when the little ice blue egg started to rumble and crack, exposing the sweet, adorable girl inside.

When Cynder carried the newly hatched hatchling out to see the world for the first time, they were met with surprising amounts of generosity in the form of whistles and cheer. Many in the city had gathered on the hatch day to support the newly appointed parents on what was primarily the most significant achievement in their entire lives. It was at that moment when her name was revealed, Avala, named after Spyro's recently deceased father, Avalon. Spyro held an emotional moment of silence to remember his father, who had been killed in a landslide in his mother's birth village; he never got to meet his mother, an Earth dragoness named Nyrinne.

They had brought Avala home from the nursery that same day, against the firm requests of the nursery caretakers, and immediately had no idea what they were doing. Waking each night to a crying hatchling and panicking when they couldn't figure out what course of action to take. Being a war hero with many years of training and combat experience never prepared them for this new type of battle; the kind of campaign they were destined to lose. The first few weeks were a living nightmare, having to resort to many books documenting on how to properly care for hatchlings and constantly seeking much-needed guidance from the discreetly amused Guardians; they weren't much help.

As young as Avala was, she proved to be a large pawful for her parents, finding ways to make parenting all the more of a challenge. It was always an uphill battle with the little ice queen. But after a year of consistent dedication and many hours lost to sleep deprivation, the pair of thirty-one-year-olds had made steady progress with their little ice dragoness. Yet, this new life still managed to bring out some good in them, filling their bodies and minds with a sense of everlasting peace; nothing in the world could take that away from them.

But the world has crafty ways of imposing new struggles on those with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Some were in the form of pain and misery, or even happiness and content. Though on occasion, it may not also be an internal affair, it could be external, hidden under the cloak of a foreign delight.

Like, meeting someone new…

* * *

The morning brought clear skies and a gentle breeze that filled the cobblestone streets with warm, glowing light and crisp, refreshing air that tickled at the noses of the people as they vacated their homes, teeming some life into the recently empty roads of Warfang. Today was already manifesting into a great day.

Spyro and Cynder padded through the streets that slowly became enveloped with activity, small shops and stalls of a variety of different products coming alive with the early risers pocket change, and the sound of singing birds were replaced by the loud commotion of well-rested citizens. Every awoken soul was ready to conquer the challenges and endeavors set for the day. They quickened their pace trying to move away from the prying eyes and listening ears.

"Still happy we woke up early?" Cynder asked, a light agitation backing her words.

"Well…," Spyro answered slowly. "I figured if we got out early enough it wouldn't be this bad of a crowd."

"And you didn't assume that everyone else had the exact same thought?" Cynder scoffed as they squeezed through a group of civilians. "Everyone and their second cousin are out today."

"Come now, it isn't that bad," Spyro tried to reassure, bowing his head kindly to a pair of moles staring at him in awe.

Cynder raised an eye ridge, her mouth gaped in disbelief. "I can still see our house from here…," she said, turning in the direction they came. "It's literally right there."

Spyro halted and followed her gaze, sure enough, there was their large manor resting at the end of the long boulevard. His violet gaze faltered, understanding the idiocy of trying to beat the morning hustle and bustle. But Cynder only rubbed more salt in the wound with the victorious smirk that taunted him.

"Don't you start with me!" Spyro warned, earning a scowl in return. "But… you may have proven your point, as much as I hate to admit it."

"Not too late to turn back now," Cynder hinted intentionally, her desire to walk home as clear as glass. "We can come back out later when some of the crowd has died down. What do you say?"

But Spyro grinned at her. "But where is the fun in that?"

"I don't know… maybe it comes in the form of an ice dragoness _we_ created," Cynder deadpanned. "You didn't forget about that already, did you?"

"Are you jesting? No, I would love nothing more, but seeing as we haven't had a moment to ourselves in some time, let's enjoy this little break while it lasts," Spyro suggested, tilting his head the opposite direction of home.

There was some truth in his statement. Since Avala's birth, the couple hadn't spent any sort of alone time together. A little over a year ago, it would have been easily achievable, but now with a precious bundle to love and care for, it proved challenging to get some well-needed adult time. All because it was hard for either of them to be separated from the child for extended periods; a widespread occurrence among first-time parents. So, they were hesitant to neglect their parental duties for even a moment. But Spyro could see that the detachment was eating at her the most.

"Cyn," Spyro spoke softly. "You don't need to stress yourself over this. Believe me, I'm feeling the same way. It feels unnatural to be so far away from her. But, Avala has someone trustworthy watching over her, someone that wouldn't let anyone lay so much as a claw on her body."

Cynder once more stared back in the direction of home, a dejected sigh escaped her muzzle. "I know. I just can't get over the feeling of leaving her for so long."

"You've been away from her for weeks at a time in the past. She knows you'll always come home to her," Spyro affirmed, consoling his mate with a nuzzle under her chin. "Besides, we'll be home in a little while, and it will be like we never left, okay?"

Cynder nuzzled back before finally nodding, but as she opened her mouth, a loud voice interrupted her response. Her train of thought stopped dead in its tracks.

"Captain Nimbus!"

The pair turned to see a fire drake dragging his exhausted body down the street. He was clad in chain mail armor branded with the symbol of the Warfang Guard. He looked young, inexperienced, and plagued with uncertainty, his most notable feature being the frantic look in his golden eyes. The guard panted, his strained muscles struggled to support his heaving chest from collapsing to the ground. Upon noticing the presence of the world's savior's, he quickly adjusted his posture and collected himself, mentally cursing himself for committing an embarrassing act. As a last-ditch effort to assert his professionalism, the drake threw a salute to his superior.

Captain Nimbus was a large wind drake with pale blue eyes, his size and maturity complimenting the title in which he held. His light, satin grey scales adding contrast to the silver plate armor that covered the majority of his body. He carried himself with an authoritative stance, carefully examining the distressed guard before him with a slightly judgemental gaze before returning the salute.

"Oh thank… the ancestors… I found you, sir" The fire drake rasped between deep, almost painful, breaths.

"Tanzim! Why aren't you handling your post?"

"T-there is… a-a s-sit…," his muzzle seized as he stumbled forward, only to be caught in Nimbus's paws.

The older drake couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, helping the hyperventilating dragon to his feet, but forcing his haunches back down to the ground. "Easy, son. Just sit and regain your breath," he ordered stoically, allowing the fire dragon a moment to collect himself.

"Now, what seems to be of the utmost importance, young dragon? Something happening at the main gate?"

Tanzim nodded his head. "Yes, sir. There's trouble at the main gate. A small caravan with a mated pair of dragons approached the gate requesting passage into the city…"

"Doesn't seem like an issue I should be concerned with, Tanzim," Nimbus said dispassionately. "Trade caravans come and go from the city daily. What makes this one exclusive to the rest?"

"Because they aren't here to trade, sir," Tanzim continued, ignoring the interruption. "They're here to settle. And they're dead set on living here. That ice drake was determined to get through."

"Again, why does this concern me, young dragon?"

"They don't understand the concept of needing proper credentials to enter the city. I tried to explain it to them, but the male continued to get more aggressive. I had no other choice but to take some initiative and have someone relieve me so I could find you, sir," Tanzim explained quickly.

"Did a city official or anyone with the logistics brigade show up before you left?"

The fire drake responded with a nod, yet he still remained uncertain. "Well, that's not entirely true. They sent for one, but whether or not one arrived is still unknown."

"Well, when they arrive they will take care of any confusion. My involvement is unnecessary. Besides, with the festival going on, it's the reason why security is heightened. It's only a safety precaution, Tanzim. You need not worry yourself over it. Now see to it that the situation is handled."

"But, sir!" Tanzim exclaimed, the wind captain taken back by the sudden change of tone. "They have an egg. It's what they used to try and gain entry into the city."

At the sound of the explanation, Spyro's interest sparked, wondering if there was something that could be done to assist the guards and alleviate the situation brought to the Captain's attention. He approached them in long, swift strides, nodding to both the officer and his subordinate.

Cynder followed close behind him, her innate curiosity shared between them, but hidden beneath the surface of her pupils, a slight irritation rumbled. But, she knew that it was second nature of her mate to find means of assisting wherever he could. So it was better just to play along and allow her building interest to assume control.

"Ah, Master Spyro," Nimbus greeted with a slight bow. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Greetings, Captain," Spyro replied, tilting his head back to stare into the Captain's gaze. "But I'm afraid my intrusion is not pleasurable. Is everything going alright? I couldn't help but eavesdrop on your conversation," Spyro replied, feeling a pang of hint guilt for poking his nose where it doesn't belong.

"Yes, you probably heard my subordinate acting out of line," Nimbus suggested, casting a dark glare at the smaller fire drake who cowered fearfully. "Raising his voice at me, trying to change my stance on a matter I've no interest in assessing personally."

"No offense, Captain, but this young guard, no matter what he said or how he said it, sought you out to receive guidance because of an issue at the main city gate," Cynder rebuked. "I believe that his issue should be taken a bit more seriously, especially if an egg is involved."

"Cynder!" Spyro hissed. "Show some tact."

The black dragoness snapped her attention to her mate, immediately noticing the pleading gaze that filled his purple eyes. Gritting her teeth behind closed lips, Cynder growled as she restrained the offensive words building in her throat, threatening to erupt. Her outburst subsided when Spyro nodded his head thankfully; she grinned half-heartedly.

The purple dragon shifted his concentration back towards Nimbus. "I sincerely apologize on her behalf, but she brings up a fair point. Now I'm not insinuating that you don't know how to do your job, but I find your lack of interest disturbing."

"The situation itself is indeed peculiar," Nimbus defended pridefully. "There is no lack of any interest, just not allowing myself to invest time and effort into the matter. Something the logistics brigade and Gate Commander have more business in that than I do."

"It shouldn't matter if someone has more business in the affair. Why not try to figure the problem out for yourself?" Spyro asked. "Instead of ruining a young family's chance at starting a new life. I understand the whole need for credentials and other important documentation, and obviously, the amounts of gold one must possess. But allowing a city official to break that news to them…? I will not allow it as long as there is a heart beating in my chest."

"Your words speak true," Nimbus sighed, sharing a glance with Cynder. "I understand I may come off as careless and harsh, but I only am because my job conflicts me with tough decisions daily. If it were up to me, I would have ordered the family through the gate instead of allowing them to be scrutinized by some admin that only cares about numbers on parchment. But my paws are tied."

"Yet no action was taken to ensure the best outcome for both the couple and the city itself," Cynder stated boldly. "It seems you failed to stand for what's right, Captain. It may be too late for you, but that doesn't mean the same for those unlucky dragons. Not if we have anything to say about it."

"I'll assist…"

"You'll assist by kindly handing over command of Tanzim so that he can relay a message for us. Call it a… professional courtesy, if you will."

Nimbus faltered, hanging his head dejectedly. His position of power undermined by one of the world's saviors, only because he didn't go against the rules to do what was right. Now because of his selfishness, a young family would have to turn back and search for a home elsewhere. If the negative came, he'd hold that guilt for the rest of his life. A simple nod was all Spyro needed to see, his mate's forceful personality and ominous charm had a way of swaying males to do her bidding. He admitted guilt to have submitted to her whims a few times in the past out of sheer intimidation. So, with a defeated sigh, he rested his eyes on the young guard.

"Until your services are deemed unnecessary, you are to assist Spyro and Cynder with any task they have in line." Tanzim nodded his understanding, his tail wagging with excitement at the prospect of handling the matters of the saviors personally. "Should anyone other than these two try to give you orders, you send them my way, and I'll deal with them personally."

"Yes, sir, I understand the task."

"But…," Nimbus continued. "You will still abide by the rules and regulations set in stone. No going rogue or acting out of line because the last thing I need is for a hopeful young dragon's career be ruined because he did the wrong thing for the right reason. Don't let me down, Tanzim."

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir," Tanzim agreed obediently. "Thank you."

"Tanzim!" Spyro blurted, attracting the fire guards attention. "How fast can you get to the main gate?"

"As fast as you need me to and then some, Master Spyro," Tanzim answered immediately, his earlier fatigue no longer visible in his body.

"Wonderful," Spyro praised. "By the time I finish speaking, you'll only have moments to spare. I need you to stall any officials bothering that family until we arrive. No matter what, they will not leave regardless of whatever decision the officials come to. Also, reassure the family that help is on the way. Bestow some sort of hope upon them. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Spyro! I understand loud and clear, but I'm not worried about any arriving officials. The Gate Commander is the one I need to stall; he's very stubborn, to say the least."

"Then priority number one is keeping him occupied until Cynder, and I arrive," Spyro nodded. "Unless there is more for you to add, I'd suggest you get going."

The fire guard quickly shot his superior a glance before turning tail and taking off in the direction of his objective. Nimbus looked up to see him leave but made no motion to try and stop him. But the moment the drake disappeared, he looked up to see Cynder flashing a victorious smirk; Spyro was relaxed, almost peaceful. The repenting drake, finally aware of the error of his ways, mentally braced himself for another batch of hurtful insults for not expressing enough humility in front of the Saviours.

Instead, his stare met a smug grin and a pair of rolling eyes. There was no hostile intent in Cynder's expression, yet he cowered slightly when she playfully intoned next to his ear.

"I'm happy to see we're finally cooperating, I hate repeating myself. Good day, Captain."

Without waiting for a response, the black dragoness took off after Tanzim, leaving Spyro and the stunned officer with quick haste. After a few moments, the purple dragon stepped forward, providing a reassuring paw on the Captain's shoulder, his entire body was shuddering, and he dripped with fear scent. The mere touch of Spyro's hand made his whole body jolt, taken back by the displaced kindness.

"You're okay now, Captain," Spyro mumbled, gently patting the drake's shoulder. "She's doesn't bite, you know."

"Are you sure about that?" Nimbus asked desperately. "Because it didn't seem like she was going to stop with just words."

Spyro shook his head as he smiled and let out a laugh. "You don't understand her as I do. She says things to those that irritate her but immediately regrets it later on. Trust me. I've had my fair share of encounters."

"Is that why you were so calm?"

The purple dragon laughed again. "Believe me, I was on edge in case Cynder decided to snap on you. But she didn't, so that's a bonus."

"Indeed it is," Nimbus swallowed. "But between the two of us, can I ask something of you, Master Spyro?"

"Sure."

"Please watch out for Tanzim," the Captain pleaded. "I knew his father during the war and know for a fact that he can get in over his head rather easily. The lad is looking like his old man with every passing day. It would ruin me to see him dig a hole he can't get out of. Promise me that you will guide him. He needs someone like you because I haven't been able to provide that guidance for him."

"Cynder and I will keep a keen eye on him, you don't have to worry," Spyro reassured. "Mind if I give you a bit of advice too before I leave?"

Nimbus nodded energetically, glancing over his shoulder, hoping he wasn't being snuck up on. The ominous female could set her watchful gaze on him any moment and this day had enough excitement to call it quits.

"If you ever find yourself in another conflicting situation like this again, don't hesitate to do the righteous thing, even if it goes against your rules and regulations. You'll find that you can sleep better at night if your conscious is clean rather than tainted. If you can abide by that, then you will have my support as well as Cynder's. Remember that being able to choose is the only true freedom anyone really has, use that freedom. Take advantage of this freedom, Captain, because you never know how long it's going to last."

And with that the purple drake trailed off to address the situation at paw, leaving a speechless Nimbus standing still as a statue and plunged in embarrassment.

* * *

"Spyro!"

Spyro hadn't even cleared the final corner when he heard his mate calling to him, understanding the seriousness of her tone forced his legs to pick up the pace as he galloped the distance, finally setting his sights upon the intriguing commotion that disturbed the peace.

Cynder's agitated, yet determined expression took the spotlight of his attention immediately. Her active form, ready to pounce at the first sign of an impending unjust behavior had him staring in awe at the magnificent attraction that he was proud to call his mate. No matter how dire the situation was, he always found a spare moment to appreciate the divine dragoness. Maybe it was just male instinct or the fact that her lively personality inspired him to always look forward to the next day. Either way, he just couldn't help himself not to stare captivated.

Cynder turned towards him as he approached. She waited until he stopped next to her to begin speaking.

"Took you long enough!" she said irritably.

Then again there were times, when his captivation worked against him, in the form of an indignant Cynder that just couldn't believe he still found time for childish antics. Experience taught him that keeping a female waiting for petty reasons was a novice move.

The drake was caught off guard as if he were ambushed by a band of apes. For a moment he struggled to unravel the knot binding his tongue.

"Sorry," Spyro panted apologetically. "Had a few words to share with Nimbus after you flew off."

"Teach him a lesson?"

Spyro shook his head. "Didn't need to, you got the message embedded in his thick skull. Just had a little dragon-to-dragon chat, male talk, you know."

"Shame," Cynder said sourly.

"Not meaning to interrupt your victory bragging, but there's a more pressing matter to attend to," Spyro casually inquired, tilting his head towards the main gate. He earned pout from Cynder, yet she decided not to engage him in an argument and kneel him with that menacing fear-inducing glare of hers.

The duo directed their attention at the gate, immediately spotting the Gate Commander. He was a gangly looking Earth drake, his long slender body gave his form a feminine hint, despite his asserted dominance, through a cruel pair of authoritative eyes he carried. Said pair stared intensively at Tanzim, who had planted himself between the official and the couple: an ice drake and a lightning dragoness. A simple wagon lay just beyond them.

A group of six guards surrounded them menacingly, being an intimidating factor towards the young family they intended on forcing away from the city. They glared daggers, even slightly taunting the family with subtle expressions and body language, silently praying that either one would lash out; the guards of the city gate disgustingly longed for action. But Tanzim barred his fangs at them, willing to challenge anyone that dared to lay a claw on the pair.

The ice drake also returned their glowers with an icy, piercing stare of his own, equal in amounts of hostility. His wing draping protectively over his smaller mate, keeping her close to him, his focus directed towards her safety as well as the egg she carried against her chest.

Spyro couldn't decide, whether to feel impressed at Tanzim for taking their orders to heart and risking his physical integrity possibly or disgusted that his own brethren he so valiantly fought to protect was turned against each other.

"Are we just going to stand here and allow this to happen?" Spyro asked. "This is a wrong and malicious treatment of an individual let alone a family with an egg."

"No, we're not going just to stand here and observe," Cynder responded, not taking her emerald gaze off the family. "Let's get over there before it gets out of paw."

Spyro needn't hear this a second time, his actions speaking louder than words as he treaded quickly towards the surrounded family, hoping to relieve them from the tightening belt of guards suffocating them. Cynder was by his side the entire way, her eyes poised to seek salvation for the family being harassed. Their heads perked up as they could distinguish frustrated voices the closer they got.

"…move out of the way!"

"Never!"

That was Tanzim! The fire drake was taking a defensive stance, his feet wide and head reared back. His menacing teeth outlined his strained maw in full display, daring anyone to make a move.

"Those two have no business in this city," The Commander spoke, pointing a claw at the mentioned dragons, unaware of the approaching saviors behind him. "Now, either you will stand down and move out of our way, or I'll have you arrested and thrown in jail! So I say again, move out of the way; that is a direct order, Tanzim!"

"I'm sorry, Commander Landau, but I'm not moving an inch, and you are definitely not arresting me," Tanzim snapped. "I'm under strict orders to keep this family here."

The skinny earth drake looked to the encroaching guards and nodded a silent, predesignated order to them. And with no need for a response, the surrounding force shifted simultaneously towards Tanzim and the family. The fire guards previously toughened appearance turned fearful, desperately looking for his own salvation.

"Still want us to try, Tanzim?" Landau sneered. "Or does your insubordination need to be dealt with first?"

"Break me down, and I'll only keep rising up," Tanzim replied coldly, eyeing each guard with equally cold eyes. "The ill-treatment of these two dragons is wrong, and all of you know it. You disgrace your positions as members of the Warfang Guard."

"Be careful with your words, dragon," Landau warned.

The guards shared a momentary glance with one another, trying to make out what the other was thinking, wondering if maybe the smaller fire guard made a clear point. But they didn't need to consider a second longer as a loud roar erupted nearby, drawing their muzzles away to investigate the source.

" _Enough_!" Spyro shouted, stepping into the ring of dragons, staring them all down and forcing their bodies to back off. "Cease all hostilities this instant! The whole lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves!"

The surrounding guards immediately dropped their aggressive stances, taking more modest sitting postures and opening the circle they formed, giving everyone more breathing room. Each of their faces not only genuinely regretful over their actions, but ashamed that they disappointed the saviors in the process.

Although Commander Landau continued to stand defiantly, fangs revealed and muscles tensed; he was ready for a fight.

"What is this outrage?!" He demanded. "You dare meddle in the business in which you have no voice?"

Spyro squared up with the skinny green drake, returning the gesture coldly as he spoke slowly. "Mistreating this poor family and scaring them is not how we do things, regardless if they are missing credentials. To think you used fear and threats make me sick. So yeah, I'd say I have a voice in the matter."

"They also have an egg," Cynder added, taking her place beside Spyro. "Not that any of you seemed to care anyway."

As if on cue, the small lightning dragoness revealed to them the little yellow egg in her grasp, before quickly hiding it away from prying eyes. Her ruby red eyes filled with fear as the scales on her body shook violently. She was pulled in tightly by her more massive mate, who nodded gratefully to Cynder, yet he still held some malice in his eyes towards Spyro, but the purple drake didn't seem to notice.

"It was him that got our attention because he alone saw the unfairness of your actions," Spyro gestured to Tanzim, who raised his head proudly, though his body practically screamed his fear. "We ordered him to do the right thing and stall you before something bad occurred."

"And had we not shown up, he might have been hurt badly in the process," Cynder said softly, looking each guard carefully in the eye. "You don't want to live with that kind of memory on your conscious, trust me, I know."

Tanzim drooped his head sadly at the sight of his colleagues slumped shoulders, their actions betraying their thoughts; they were assuming responsibility and taking all of the credit for their efforts. The realization that their claws may have been moments from tearing into his scales finally hitting them.

"You see what you've done, Commander?" Spyro spoke seriously. "You were ready to allow your own subordinates turn on their own colleague. Now because of it, they may never be the same. Turning brother against brother is the one thing you never want to achieve."

"We tried a peaceful approach, but he was being as stubborn as they come," Landau explained through closed teeth, pointing at Tanzim. "He gave us no choice, but to become hostile. Any injury that he might have received would have been on his own accord. He was hindering our duties and his own duties by standing in our way. Also, the city and the safety of its citizens come first and foremost. I wasn't prepared to allow them entry." He shifted his claw towards the family.

The ice drake opened to his muzzle to counter, but Cynder eyed him carefully, silently asking him to hold his tongue before he made the situation worse than it needed to be. He huffed with annoyance but kept his words to himself. The black dragoness nodded her appreciation.

"Regardless of Tanzim's actions, that doesn't justify turning fellow guards on their own brethren," Cynder said finally.

"Speaking of which, their presence here is no longer required," Spyro added. "They should return to their duties. We can handle this situation amongst ourselves, wouldn't you agree, Commander?"

Landau grunted but ultimately nodded his agreement. Clearing his throat, he spoke quick instructions to the guards. The group nodded solemnly and gave immediate obedience as they followed the orders of their Commander.

Tanzim pulled himself to all fours and turned to follow his companions, assuming his duties with Spyro and Cynder had ceased.

"You stay, young dragon!"

Tanzim nodded immediately and instead of returning to his place behind Spyro and Cynder, he took a seat in front of the green dragon. The weight of self-loathe heaving his shoulders to the point he felt like he was going to sink into the ground. But he lifted himself up to look his commanding officer in the eye.

"Commander Landau," Tanzim whispered, bowing submissively. "I'm sorry for abandoning my post as I did, but I couldn't just stand by idly and allow this family to be scrutinized. I surrender myself for whatever punishment you see fit. I promise that when this is over… I'll come quietly."

Spyro inhaled sharply at the young guard's words, remembering that the fire drake had mentioned getting properly relieved before seeking out guidance from Captain Nimbus. But now he realized that the dragon had pleaded guilty to lying to an officer and abandoning his appointed place of duty; both were severe offenses that could plant him firmly in prison for a long time. Yet, he admired the self-accountability of the young dragon for understanding his wrongdoings and fully accepting whatever disciplinary action the commander had in mind.

Landau approached the smaller fire drake, a blank expression across his features. The once-hostile drake then proceeded to sigh loudly, an internal conflict battling in his head. But what he did next was astonishing. He gingerly lifted Tanzim's chin, allowing a feeling of regret to wash over him, seeing the surrendered and distressed look in the fire guard's face.

"I can't punish someone that is willing to risk everything for the well-being of the populace, even those that aren't officially settled within the city," Landau spoke kindly, giving an apologetic smirk towards the family. "Your actions and willingness to help others go above and beyond the call of duty. This family should be grateful to you."

Tanzim smiled, his tears building up with moisture. He felt the comforting touch of Spyro and Cynder's paws as they rejoiced with the youthful guard, seeing the potential that ran through his veins and heart of gold.

Spyro was relieved that this dire situation had taken a turn for the better and they had to thank Tanzim for that. Even if he were a pure guard, the kid had spunk and a bright future to look forward too. He of all dragons comprehended the meaning of starting small but surely to its fullest extent. The Commander's speech shined a ray of hope in him too, restoring his belief in dragonkind, which had momentarily waned off.

"Thank you, young dragon," The lightning dragoness whispered. "Is there anything we can do to pay you back?"

Tanzim approached the young family, smiling his appreciation towards their resilience and perseverance from the guard's wrongful persecution.

"No need to do that, it's my pleasure, umm...," Tanzim paused, hoping to drag a name out of the dragoness.

"Oh, where are my manners?" the dragoness exclaimed. "My name is Aileen, and this is my mate, Cyrus."

"Aileen, that's a very nice name," Tanzim bowed respectfully. "I'm… genuinely sorry for how my colleagues treated you two. If there's anything that I can do for you, please just ask."

"We will bear that in mind," Cyrus answered, his words grateful, but his tone agitated as he stared spitefully towards Landau. "But I still feel our presence is still uninvited."

Commander Landau swallowed shamefully but held Cyrus's glare with a conscious-stricken look of his own. He knew that his actions towards the family weren't justified and that they might never forgive him, but the earth drake still wanted to try.

"He is sorry for the things he did to you and your mate, as well as your unborn child," Tanzim mumbled gently, hoping Cyrus would see some form of reason or understanding. "But demanding a right to settle within the city is not how we do things around here."

"Then what's the point of you stepping in to defend us if you're only going to spew the same garbage he did?"

Tanzim shook his head. "The rules and regulations are shared, and while I don't condone their actions, I support what they're trying to defend. But unlike them, I am willing to help speed up the process of getting you all settled."

"So that means we can settle within the city?"

"No, I'm afraid not," A new female voice interrupted, ruining the glorious moment the four dragons shared.

They all turned to see an orange scaled dragoness with a cream colored chest and amber eyes approaching them with young, lively steps. She wore a large satchel around her neck filled to the brim with papers and other documents. But the mere sight of the dragoness produced only an annoyed growl from one dragon: Tanzim.

"Unless of course they can provide legal documentation identifying who they are and where they come from, a written letter of recommendation from a current resident of the city, as well as a one-time service fee of five-hundred gold," The dragoness explained quickly, her eyes widened at the sight of Tanzim before scrunching up to thin slits.

"Well isn't this day just full of surprises," the orange dragoness grumbled through gritted teeth. "To think I was getting tasked out to assist a potential new resident, but here I am getting blessed by your presence."

"It's good to see you too, Lyla," Tanzim spoke sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the young dragoness. "To think they were actually going to send a real official from the logistics brigade, but they must be dealing with other matters, so they sent you instead."

Spyro gently cleared his throat, grasping the attention of the obviously annoyed fire dragon. "Tanzim, who is this?"

"Oh, sorry!" Tanzim expressed loudly. "Everyone! This is Lyla, a recruit…"

"Official," Lyla interjected aggressively.

"Whatever…," Tanzim continued. "She is an official recruit with the logistics brigade and… my former lover of three years until she decided that she wanted someone more, oh what's the word…, exotic."

"Don't flatter yourself, hothead," Lyla mumbled. "You know exactly why we separated!"

"The word commitment comes to mind. Something that you failed to grasp. Tell me, sweetheart, how's that been going for you?"

"Haven't had any issues so far," The orange dragoness said proudly. "Also, don't call me sweetheart. You lost that privilege a long time ago. Should've buried you in the ground when I had the chance."

"Aww, I didn't realize the single life made you this happy and willing to commit such a serious crime," Tanzim mocked. "If I had of known that, I wouldn't have wasted three years of my life."

Puzzled snouts shifted between the two bickering dragons, Cynder and Spyro looked at each other with hopes of making any sense of this and basked together in their own amusement. Landau, however, was having none of it, this day had already taken a toll on his nerves.

"Tanzim!" Commander Landau happily interrupted. "Stop antagonizing the girl so that we can help move this family along. You're wasting my ears away with your petty arguing."

"You should listen to your boss, Tanzy," Lyla pressed. "Wouldn't want to disappoint him, would you?"

"You wouldn't know disappointment if it came and bit you right on the…!"

" _TANZIM_! Shut. Your. Mouth. Please."

"The same goes for you too, missy!" Spyro disrupted. "Whatever quarrel you have with him can be held off for another time."

"By the Ancestors, I hope when Avala gets older, she never acts like these two," Cynder silently prayed, only receiving an unsure chuckle out of Spyro. "Makes you wonder how she'd be if she had a sibling."

Spyro snapped his muzzle shut, hoping his mate wasn't hinting at the possibility of another child. "After the last year of late nights, I think our paws are already full with only one kid to worry about."

"Fine," Cynder grumbled. "We'll stick with one child… for now."

Spyro felt a cold drop of sweat drip down his neck, he stifled a chilling shiver.

"Lyla was it?!" Spyro asked loudly, earning a glare from Cynder and a nod from the logistics dragoness. "What exactly do these two need to provide?"

"Right, of course," Lyla quickly apologized, taking her eyes away from an irritated. She swiftly approached the young family, eyeing them delicately. "I require certain documents before we can consider housing anybody. Firstly, I need identification papers showing who you are and wherever it is you came from."

"Do you have that?" Cynder asked nicely.

Cyrus eyed his mate carefully, who nodded to him with similar amounts of caution, as he withdrew to his wagon and retrieved a pair of small parchments before depositing them into the outstretched paw of the young dragoness. The procedure lasted but a few moments.

She quickly scanned both pieces of paper, reading the information immediately to herself, occasionally glancing up at both dragons. "Where are you both from?"

"Koniya," Aileen answered. "A small village only a few days from here."

Lyla shrugged, finding the lightning dragoness's response acceptable. She asked a few more confirmation questions as per standard protocol before kindly returning the papers to Cyrus, who slid the important documents back into his satchel.

"If everything else goes as smoothly, I will just ask that you, please provide those documents once more so that I can make copies," Lyla explained. "It helps the administrators keep track of who is living in the confines of these walls. They like to stay organized."

Spyro noticed the quick, fearful look that Cyrus and Aileen shared, but didn't overthink about it. Yet, the old feeling that something wasn't right lingered like a pest in his mind, but he chose to ignore it. There would be time to sate his curiosity later.

"We understand," Cyrus responded. "Wouldn't want to disappoint, right?"

"No, definitely not," Lyla smiled. "Now! The next two items are the real game changers: a letter of approval from a sponsoring individual or individuals and a five-hundred gold service fee. One can't exist without the other."

The couple exchanged uncertain glances, both dragons heads and tails slumped as if life had been sucked out of them. Apparently, they did not expect to enter Warfang would be such a goliath of a task.

"Well, that's unfortunate because…," Cyrus began with a sigh. "We cannot provide either of those things. It never occurred to us until now that you had to possess those big-ticket items. Aileen and I gave up nearly everything we owned to move out here."

Aileen nodded in support of her mate's words. "Everything in our name is in that wagon," she said, tilting her head towards the wheeled object. "We had hoped to settle so that we can raise our little one somewhere where we can better provide."

"But now, it seems we can't because we don't have the money nor a sponsor," Cyrus added, gently stroking the surface of the egg. "I don't want my son or daughter to be born into a world where I can't put food on the table and provide to their basic needs. Surely, you must understand this, right?"

Spyro could feel his own heart crumble in sympathy for the two parents, willing to risk everything they owned on something they couldn't possess, all so that they could give their unhatched child a chance at a blessed life in a big city. It stung to make him realize that there were other families like this one that couldn't fill their children's bellies or give them a warm place to rest their heads. All while his mate, his daughter, and himself lived in luxury without a care in the world about when their next meal was or where they'd rest their bodies at night. A knot formed in his stomach as he realized how far off he'd treaded from his morals, feeling selfish for not recognizing his kind needed more than a last-minute savior.

"Without those two items, I can't promise placement in the city," Lyla kindly sympathized. "In fact, I wouldn't stake everything trying to do as such. I'm so sorry for the trouble, but I can't do anything else for you. I truly do hope that you will find a home to raise your child."

Spyro watched the young family's world begin to shatter before his purple gaze. Seeing Aileen press her muzzle into her mate's shoulder broke him personally, understanding their hardships. To them, they had reached the end of the line, their true destination nowhere in sight. He'd be their pathfinder to a new goal if all it took were a small chunk of his wealth, he had grown up in a swamp for Ancestor's sake! He never wished for all that fancy stuff anyway.

He saw that it hurt young Lyla too, probably never have done this to anyone before, her excitement to help a family broken by having to be a bearer of bad news. But it brought him comfort to see Tanzim approach her and whisper reassurances into her ear. It amazed him to watch the guard set aside their petty rivalry to make her feel better, offering his shoulder to bury her face in, which she obliged without hesitation.

But at least there was something he could do about it all, the tears being shed would not be in vain. Something that he knew was right and with a glance towards Cynder, Spyro saw that she was thinking the same thing. So, the purple drake cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention.

"They don't have to search any longer," Spyro said proudly. "Because Cynder and I will provide whatever is necessary to get them fully settled. We'll also take care of the one-time fee and sponsor them."

The thick and heavy sighs of relief that emanated from Cyrus and Aileen filled the surrounding air with an overwhelming feeling of joy and peace. Their saving grace they had prayed for didn't come from high above in the home of the Ancestors, but from level ground in the form of a purple dragon and black dragoness, whose combined hearts were about as golden and merciful as they came.

Cyrus and Aileen both let their tears run rampant down their cheeks, happily kissing each other and lovingly nuzzling the egg that the lightning dragoness still carried.

"You don't know what this means to us, Master Spyro," Aileen croaked happily, wiping the excess moisture around her eyes. "You've given us an unpayable debt, and we're eternally grateful to you and your family."

"Why do this for us?" Cyrus gently demanded.

Cynder melted at the display of a genuine family moment, she never had the chance to do much good in her life until Spyro popped into her life, every small step at redemption always meant the world to her.

"It wasn't just because we found the mistreatment towards you earlier inappropriate," Spyro answered. "But seeing your egg and the possibility of you not having a home to stay in, it… it made me think of my own daughter, the one thing I cherish most in this world. I just couldn't allow myself to return to her without making your lives equally as great as my own."

"I can't begin to express how grateful I am to you, Master Spyro," The ice drake said.

"Please, just call me Spyro. I think if we're going to be seeing each other for a while we may as well be on a first name basis."

The purple dragon shifted his vision over towards Lyla who was in quiet conversation with Tanzim. He smiled contentedly to see that both of them exchanged happy grins, impressed that the pair had temporarily, maybe permanently, tossed their former disposition of each other aside. He stared intently at the orange dragoness until she noticed his piercing gaze.

She slowly walked away from the fire guard, running her tail under his chin, which forced a stifled laugh from Spyro as he watched the shocked expression turn Tanzim's scales a deeper shade of red stiffening the poor drake in place. Lyla grinned as she took a seat in front of Spyro, looking at him with patience.

"What else needs to be done?" Spyro asked. "The faster these two are taken care of the better."

"I can handle the rest from here," Lyla informed. "All I ask is that either you or your mate stay behind to be a witness to document signing and to sign some papers of your own."

The purple drake nodded. "And the one-time service fee? When is the deadline set to expire?"

"Whenever you get the chance," Lyla shrugged without the slightest hint of concern. "It's preferable not to leave any loose ends, but as long as it does get paid there really is no deadline."

"I'll arrange it as soon as time allows it," Spyro promised before looking at Cynder. Lyla dipped her head and dismissed herself, walking towards the happy family, her place quickly taken by Commander Landau.

"You're the only dragons in Warfang I'd expect to bless this family with such a deed," The green dragon praised. "In all my years of being the Gate Commander, I've never seen someone perform a more noble act than what you and your mate just did. This city and the world should be proud to have you, and if there is anything that you need to be done, you'll always find me here at the main gate. But other than that, I bid you and your family good fortune."

Before Spyro could give a thankful response, the green drake walked by him and disappeared through an open door of a structure attached to the city wall, likely the command post of the gate watch. In that time, Cynder had leaned into him and began to nuzzle his neck, rubbing her soft, black scales against his vivid, violet scales.

"Do you want to stay behind to help Cyrus and Aileen, or shall I?"

The black dragoness sounded a chuckle deep within her throat, gently nudging her mate with her wing. She knew that signing documents was never his forte. "I can take care of it, hearts and minds is my specialty, besides my senses, are telling me that you have someone you need to talk to."

"Who?"

Cynder dipped her head in the direction of Tanzim, who sat with his side to the group, eyes focused on the main gate. His body language alone showed he was ready to return to his duties, but his eyes betrayed the torment raging within his head.

Spyro understood her intentions, silently acknowledging that the young drake was having a difficult time despite all the rightful deeds he'd performed for one day. If he was going to make the best of the situation he needed everyone's spirits lifted.

"I'll meet you at the house after I've gotten Cyrus and Aileen settled," Cynder pressed. "Go talk to him, find out what's wrong and provide some guidance with that golden heart of yours. He'll listen to you."

"I know," Spyro breathed. "I have an idea about the struggle that rages inside of him because I've seen that look before and know that it doesn't bode well."

"Where?"

Spyro shrugged, adopting an unsure posture. "Can't remember off the top of my head sadly, but Nimbus made me promise to look after him, so I intend to honor that agreement. Also, since when is hearts and minds your specialty? Because you were prepared to tear Nimbus a new one if I hadn't stepped in."

"Different interpretation, same result," Cynder winked. "Besides, if I really wanted to hurt the Captain what would you have done to try and stop me? Answer very carefully."

Seeing the intimidating shine in her emerald eyes made the purple drake gulp fearfully. She was again toying with his mind, playing that dominant position in their relationship she ruled with an iron fist. She might have been slightly smaller than him, but she exceeded him in everything else, especially when it came to fear. It wasn't hard to tell that she made his scales crawl.

"Why do you do this to me?"

"Because you wouldn't have me any other way," She said simply. "Now go take care of Tanzim."

The dark scaled dragoness gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she followed Lyla and the new residents. As she walked, Cynder put a little extra sway in her hips, knowing that her mate was ogling her backside with an arousing temptation. Getting him to stare was easy, taking advantage of him was easier because all drakes no matter the age carried the same teenager mentality that could quickly get them in trouble.

As she rounded a corner and disappeared, Spyro shook his head, getting his delinquent thoughts back to stable ground. He felt hot under his scales, hoping nobody caught him eyeballing his mate's seductive curves. Luckily for him, the only drake in the vicinity was Tanzim, who had been looking the opposite way the entire time. Now it was time to chat with the young, troubled dragon.

"Hey, Tanzim," Spyro called, inviting the drake to sit next to him.

Tanzim dipped his head but didn't say a word as he padded slowly towards the savior. His entire body sagged, and he held himself dangerously low to the ground. It was disheartening to see the motivated and bright fire guard at such a low level of pitifulness. Sitting next to the purple dragon, avoiding the lilac iris that peered at him curiously with an averted gaze.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Or you don't want me to know?"

"I don't know!"

"Tanzim, I know something is bothering you. It's plain as day," Spyro asserted firmly. "How can I tell? Because literally moments ago, you were enjoying Lyla's company with a smile on your face, which was a huge step up from the insults and jabs you two shared earlier."

Spyro noticed the flicker of hope he had been wanting to see in the form of Tanzim finally looking up at him. Something about saying the name of the orange and cream colored dragoness ignited the spark that would get the answers he sought after.

"Does it have something to do with her?"

Now there was genuine hurt in the young drake's eyes.

"Did you say something you wish you could take back?" Tanzim shook his head. " Then what's going on? I don't get visions about every little thing, you know!"

"It's not about what I said," Tanzim mumbled. "It's what I didn't say to her."

"Talk to me," the purple demanded gently and smoothly. "What exactly didn't you say?"

"I didn't tell her sorry for ruining things between us. For being a self-centered jerk and putting my duty towards this city above my love for her. For shutting her out during my tough days and isolating myself. For everything! I blame her for everything, but really I am blaming myself."

"So it's love that's bothering you," Spyro understood immediately, giving the drake a reassuring chuckle. "Tanzim, let me ask you something. What are your thoughts on my relationship with Cynder?"

"With all due respect, I wouldn't have any idea about your relationship because I don't allow myself to peddle gossip about you two," Tanzim answered respectfully. "But since you asked for my opinion, I would imagine that you two were meant for each other after everything that you two went through. That's my best guess, just based off history books."

"You're not wrong, but Cynder and I are far from perfect," Spyro admitted. "And after all these years, we are still nowhere close to being perfect even though we have a child to care for. You see that's the thing about perfection; it's an unachievable goal that young couples fail to grasp. You can't force a relationship to work in your favor, you have to surrender to it and allow it to flow freely. If you try and force it, it's going to find ways to bite you in the end."

"Had I not screwed up, I'd be with her right now, but when it came down to picking between my love for Lyla and my love for my job, I chose poorly, losing my best friend and better self in the process. I live this job every day with that heavy weight of regret hanging by a string over my head. She was my world when we were together, and I tossed her aside to take this job."

"You know, it always comes down to fulfilling your duty or giving in to desire. By the time you've made a decision you'll be a changed dragon, and when you reflect on your past choices, you'll always be mad at yourself for not picking the other side, despite your best efforts to juggle duty and relationship."

The purple dragon paused momentarily, reflecting on one such occasion.

"I'm not one to lead by example here, disregarding my elders' words to forget about Cynder. Immaturity and naivety got the better of me and yet it somehow worked out in the end, despite the uneven odds. I saw something in Cynder, and you see something in Lyla too. However, neglecting your commitment to the greater good until the very last moment is bound to cost you something you hold dear eventually. It cost me for sure."

Tanzim stared confusedly at the purple dragon, trying to interpret his last few words, but he came up empty. And despite his growing interest, he could tell that it wasn't a price that Spyro had wanted to pay, and instead of pushing for an answer, he left it well enough alone.

"Does that make sense?" Spyro asked.

"It does," Tanzim replied. "I never realized that I could get so wrapped up with my desire to defend and protect that I was neglecting someone who I still love with all my heart. I just don't know where to start rebuilding."

Spyro nodded. "It's going to be an uphill battle for sure. Though I observed how well you conducted yourself today and I have faith in your ability to do and say the right thing. You set a solid foundation by giving her a shoulder to cry on. Build up from there, keep reminding yourself that you can always find the answer both in the mind and in the spirit."

Spyro exclaimed these last few words as he pointed a talon at his head and then lowered it to his chest, tapping it a few times. Tanzim was astonished at the dragon's way with words. The history books described him as a being who defeated an army on his own, so naturally, he expected him to be a bit more brutish and stoic.

Instead, he found a relatable gentle guide, who reignited the meek flame smoldering in his heart that represented his will and courage. He was reminded that even the greatest among his kin tasted bitter downfall at some point in their lives, deducing it'd be idiotic of him to surrender both his duty and love only to resort to self-pity.

He pondered how to respond, but was stopped by Spyro.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but you can pick up the pieces, life would have no point without ups and downs. If you are ever in need of any assistance or just need someone to talk to, feel free to knock on my door, you're always welcome in my home. Now go get your girl, you already have her warmed up."

Tanzim chuckled at the joke and nodded appreciatively.

"You've probably heard this a million times before, but I can't thank you enough, Master. Both my mind and spirit say that I should go settle this now."

With that, the encouraged dragon disappeared hastily, ready to turn a new leaf in life. Spyro watched him proudly until he escaped his field of view. With a relaxed sigh and after making sure no one was around he commemorated himself.

"Oh, Spyro, you really outdid yourself this time. I'm so gonna boast about this in Cynder's face."

* * *

 **A/N: For those of you that are confused, this chapter is indeed a flashback. If I lost you at any point, I do sincerely apologize. I hope you like what I have written, the fun stuff is only just beginning.**

 **Also, I have added a new cover art for this story. It is an accurate representation of my character, Tango. He was drawn by my beta-reader, TheDragonPhylakas. He drew my character out of pure kindness and is planning on drawing my other OC, Tango's adopted sister, Avala. Make sure you guys check out his one and only story, he'd really appreciate some positive feedback.**

 **Make sure to check out my author page for up to date news on this story. Cheers to all you ladies and gents for 7,000 views.**

 **God Bless and Take Care!**

 **Atlas FF Out**


	12. Cloak and Dagger

**Act II : Lost Lineage**

 **Chapter 11**

 **Cloak and Dagger**

* * *

It was hard to believe that it had been only a month since the incident at the main gate of Warfang. But as time went by at a steady pace for most people, it meshed into what felt like only a few days for a certain black dragoness. For Cynder, the last thirty days had been filled with the joy of companionship, moments admired and shared with her new friend, Aileen, whom she had helped settle into the city, as well as her mate, Cyrus, and their little egg.

From the moment Cynder and Spyro introduced the young family to their new home, the two dragonesses hit it off, forming the foundations for a newly kindled friendship. Minus a couple of days, the two were practically inseparable, spending their waking hours throughout the city, exploring the multitude of shops and getting some much-needed girl time.

However, Spyro and Cyrus stayed well enough away from each other, an odd sight for both of their mates. They rarely talked, usually sharing words whenever the families met for a meal in the late evenings. But they didn't seem to be hostile towards one another, despite the many awkward periods of silence. Cynder took note of the males' ill behavior toward each other but figured it was due to lack of common interest or petty male pride. Either way, Aileen and her never allowed their nights to be spoiled by their mates. Despite that, the two females enjoyed the sweeter things without them.

The sun had fully broken through the dawn horizon, another day away from the stresses of life, their plans made to alleviate that maternal stress, digging it out at the source and ripping it clean from their minds.

 _Being a mom was hard work!_

With a yearling in her home, Cynder finally understood what her mate meant when they should take advantage of the little moments away from the precious bundle of joy. She enjoyed every second being with her daughter, but even she, a wonderful mother, found that letting her mate care for Avala alone allowed her that freedom to relax she deserved. Besides, she had faith in Spyro to not burn the house down while she was away; yet, the thought never failed to make itself known.

The day had been nothing but clear, blue skies as far as the eye could see without a single fluffy, white cloud standing out in the blue horizon. The golden sun rose high above into that sea of blue, it's gentle tails of light flickering over the land, filling every visible crevice and face with their light, tickling the scales or fur of every living being that wished to bask in the glory of the summer warmth.

Cynder loved the heat pressing against her obsidian scales, her entire being feeling recharged and ready to conquer the events ahead of them.

She had met up with Aileen in the Tradesman District at a favorite back alley restaurant famous for their breakfast specials; the pair decided they wouldn't do anything else until the begging sensation in their bellies was filled with food. It was a well-maintained establishment with an excellent open floor plan and fair-sized outdoor patio overlooking the harbor.

Cynder had been staring out at the harbor, observing ship workers unloading trade goods from around the continent. The salty air filled the black dragoness's nose, revitalizing her senses and slightly making her snout wrinkle, eliminating her morning numbness. Her emerald eyes eventually shifted over to the lightning dragoness across the table from her.

Aileen was covered in mesmerizing light golden scales with a dark, ocean blue chest and belly. Her entire body was smooth, pristine and lacked any sign of past injuries or scars. Her three light grey horns were similar in shape and formation as Cynder but were individually twisted like a corkscrew and golden at the tips. She was a bit chubbier than Cynder, yet she was no short on beautiful feminine curves. Her muscle structure revealed that she wasn't the kind of girl you'd find in a sparring ring, but still capable of laying her mark if she needed to, especially with her two-pronged tail.

The lightning draken's ruby red eyes were engrossed in a menu, despite having ordered their food a while ago, moving side to side and up and down the paper, changing levels of desire at the multitude of food items that teased her yearning taste buds. It took her a few moments to notice the friendly gaze of the black dragoness, slightly jumping in her seat.

Aileen squeaked fearfully, a paw smacking her mouth closed in embarrassment. "Don't do that, Cynder! By the Ancestors, even after a month you've still managed to spook me every single time we meet up."

The black draken snorted playfully, a smile dragging at her muzzle. "I gotta be there to keep you on your toes. Think of it as training for the year of sleep you're about to lose."

Aileen rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me," she breathed. "Still can't believe that I'm only weeks away from getting to finally meet my little baby."

"Aren't you excited?"

"If I am honest..." The lightning dragoness mumbled, placing the menu to the side, her eyes averted. "I'm scared. I'm starting a new chapter in my life, and I don't even know how to start the first few pages."

"Well, I'll admit that it's tough at the start," Cynder admitted, taking a sip of her water. "You're going to feel troubled; it'll seem like the problems are endless, and your levels of stress will reach heights you never thought possible."

"Not sure how that's supposed to make me feel better," Aileen scowled but flashed a quick smile.

"It was not meant to make you feel better," Cynder admitted, throwing up a guilty paw. "But I'll just tell you right now, no matter what problem you cross paths with because of your child, you'll quickly find that you're fighting a losing battle."

"How so?"

"I don't know how to explain it," Cynder said, sounding almost clueless. "All I can say is that hatchlings just know that they can solve all of their personal problems... by giving mommy and daddy ten problems for every one of theirs."

"Yikes! You make Avala sound like a little troublemaker talking like that."

Cynder sighed heavily, allowing her shoulders to sag with the much-needed release. "Tell me about it. There are already enough problems in this world, and I'd prefer that none come from under my roof. My little ice cube has a fiery tendency to take advantage of mommy every chance she gets."

Aileen suppressed a snicker, her eyes rolling with great humor. "But she's so sweet and so adorable, how the Ancestors could bestow such evil in a child is unfathomable," she teased.

"I wouldn't consider her evil, maybe just a little, but I think she's just a lot cleverer than she wants Spyro and me to believe," Cynder said. "She definitely has her little moments. You should see the results from all the antics she gets into whenever Spyro is watching her."

"Like?"

"Like coming home to see your mate's chest covered in drawings and scribbles or, finding out that the entire ground floor was turned into an ice rink..." Cynder replied, her eyes hard. "... the hard way."

"Sounds like someone, who shall not be named, slept outside for a solid week," Aileen giggled, trying to hide her grin behind a wing.

"Two weeks and only after he learned his lesson," Cynder grinned, a dark tone shrouding her voice. "If I'm going to be bruised and embarrassed, I'll up the ante and make him feel it too... my way."

"Oh, but what did you do?"

"Funny thing you should know about Spyro is that he doesn't fear any element besides two: Fear for obvious reasons, but he also fears the Shadow element too. And guess who is the shadow aficionado?"

Aileen's eyes shot wide, and her mouth dropped incomplete understanding. "You didn't... do what I think you did, did you?"

"Worse! I dragged him into a shadow and proceeded to give him a fearful scolding, maybe a spank or two also," Cynder smirked evilly. "Only stopped because I started feeling bad for him, even though I was having the time of my life."

"I'd suggest you lean on the abusive side a tad too much, but how can I say something like that when I occasionally beat up on Cyrus."

"Believe me when I say that I was generous with my form of punishment," Cynder said sternly, giving a sly wink. "Besides, he knows what he gets after being a naughty drake - and I'm not talking about pleasantries. No bad actions have ever received good rewards."

"Amen to that!"

Out of the corner of her vision, Cynder spotted a cheetah with two, large, steaming hot plates of food. The immediate scent of the mouth-watering trays hit her muzzle, making her instinctively want to drool. Her belly grumbled happily at the sight of sustenance.

He was an older cat with a couple of grey tufts of fur on his light-colored body and sported a bold pair of green eyes. He was also the cook and owner of the establishment, capable of hosting, serving, cooking, and all things in between while maintaining the most impeccable bearing. Always professional and courteous and never seen without his signature, warm smile.

The male cheetah carrying the food had taken their order nearly half an hour ago, and despite the busyness of the restaurant, he got it cooked and out the door rather quickly. He weaved his feline body through the maze of tables and chairs until he reached theirs, a welcoming smile plastered on his furry face.

He set the plates of food in front of each dragoness as he spoke. "Ladies, I have returned with your meals. Two breakfast specials with extra-large sides of meat and all the best flavors for you to enjoy. Made by yours truly and is there anything else I can get for you two today?"

"Could I possibly get some sauce for the meat? Something bold, maybe a mix of sweet and spicy?" Aileen kindly asked.

The male cheetah looked up, contemplating the many arrays of spices and sauces he had in the kitchen. "I might have just what you're looking for, but I will have to mix some up fresh. Would it be alright if I came back in say... five minutes?"

"Of course, take your time. I've got plenty of other items on my plate to treat myself to." Aileen gestured to her plate of breakfast.

"Wonderful, I shall be back in a moment," the cheetah smiled before about facing and disappearing into the kitchen.

"Well, I'm not waiting for that, so I am digging in," Cynder finally said, her stomach grumbling its authority. "It would behoove you to do the same."

Without another word, the two dragonesses tucked into their meals, their time for small talk set aside to fill their muzzles with wave after wave of scrumptious delights. The cook returned faster than he said, presenting Aileen with a fresh bottle of his special sauce before returning to his duties with a kind farewell; luckily, the sauce checked every box, satisfying her desire.

"If you're alright with me asking, who in your relationship wanted to have children the most?" The lightning draken asked curiously, taking a bite of her breakfast. "Because I literally I'm on the fence about it."

"Definitely Spyro...," Cynder answered, shaking her head with slight annoyance, yet smiled at the fond memories. "But it was hard to be convinced at first, you know."

"Why is that?" Aileen asked gingerly, her features were carefully curious.

"Because I was feeling the way you are now," Cynder replied truthfully. "I was utterly terrified of having kids because I didn't believe that I could set the right example given my, unfortunately, permanent history. I had myself convinced that I'd raise a child in my former image. Another Terror of the Skies."

"So, what did that mean for Spyro wanting to have children? Must've broken his heart to hear you say you didn't want any kids, huh?"

Cynder shrugged, toying with her last bits of food. "There is virtually nothing that falters this dragon, but my response sure did make him a little upset. But he remained somewhat optimistic if I just needed more time."

"Nothing, huh? Is it true that Spyro is unbeatable? You of all people must know his limits."

She asked with anticipation in her voice.

"Well, I'm no bragger, but I can attest to that. There is no challenge great enough to stop him from doing the right thing. Except maybe babysitting Avala, he struggles with that. But if his family is put in danger, it is guaranteed the perpetrators won't see the sun rising again after posing so much as a threat to us. He's really cautious about that." Cynder was honest and genuine when talking about Spyro.

Aileen cowered in her seat and swallowed a knot forming in her throat. She clenched her chest and hacked, alerting Cynder who rose up from her seat.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just bit more than I could chew."

They both settled down and relaxed their muscles again, a rather unimportant accident like this could not spoil their morning. Aileen however, retained that sour look on her snout, avoiding eye contact with Cynder and letting her gaze wander off to other points of interest, except her friend.

Cynder couldn't help but notice the shift in the atmosphere, she was peculiar and worried at the same time, pondering if it was something, she had said that dropped the mood. Unable to take the dreaded silence any further, she mustered her courage and spoke up, gaining her attention with her silky voice.

"Alright, I know when the person in front of me isn't telling me the whole truth. Share what's bugging you, Aileen, we're friends." She motioned a paw to squeeze hers on the table.

There was that wide-eyed look from the yellow one again, she clearly wasn't one to spit out her problems so quickly, opting to recoil back instead, dragging her claw away. She almost threw herself on the floor with such a violent jerk, shifting the table enough to turn a few nearby heads.

It was no surprise to see the most known dragoness in the city partake in a scene, yet Cynder still despised the unwanted attention, especially during private moments like a chat with her new friend. She ignored the prying eyes nonetheless and focused on Aileen, throwing her paws in the air indignantly.

"Why the sudden change in tone? You're making a bit of a scene."

Aileen seemingly broke down from pressure and slammed a fist on the table, then sighed sharply. "Cynder, this was a mistake all along. I'm terribly sorry, but I have to go."

With that insufficient explanation, she was already on her feet and padding hastily, leaving Cynder stunned and slightly offended.

Not only that but her bill was left unpaid.

Cynder waved to the waiter discreetly and pulled out a few gems without caring specifically about the amount she took away from her satchel, then set them on the table and scurried away.

"Keep the change."

Her main priority, Aileen, had just rounded the corner, Cynder managed to catch a glimpse of her tail tip before it disappeared behind a wall. Her curiosity had reached its peak, and she wouldn't drop this encounter so easily.

Oddly enough Aileen wasn't even taking the route back to her home; instead, she picked a completely random direction, moving towards the wealthier neighborhoods of the Golden Gates District. Unimportant enough, the black draken would have to save that question for later.

The yellow dragoness almost broke into a full sprint but was caught by an iron grip, belonging to the faster, nimbler Cynder, who had quickly caught up to the fleeing dragoness.

"If you couldn't afford to pay for your meal, I was happy to accommodate you," Cynder grumbled, releasing her grip on Aileen. "But leaving the table without so much as a word was completely uncalled for, especially as sudden as it was."

Aileen finally stared at her dead in the eye, her previous feminine charm vanished, a cold mix of plea and hostility brewed in her expression.

"Cynder, how much do you love your family?"

Taken back by the question, she raised a brow, yet found no harm in answering. "More than anything in the world… but what does that have to do with your behavior?" Cynder demanded austerity.

Aileen resumed talking, ignoring the question of her black scaled counterpart. "So, if you love your family more than anything, you'd do whatever it takes to keep them safe from harm, right? Well, imagine this! Imagine yourself trapped in a steel cage while your family's life is on the line. You try your damnedest to break through, but as you keep hacking at the metal, someone you thought you trusted stabs them in the back. How would you feel if that happened to you, Cynder? Because I don't want that happening to me!"

Cynder winced at her obvious pain, there was honesty in her words at least, yet she failed to comprehend who would harass a normal dragon family like Aileen's. She felt for her affliction and embraced the dragoness, meeting little resistance.

"Is that the real reason why you desperately sought sanctuary in Warfang? Is someone after you and your family? All you need to do is the point, and I'll act." Cynder softened up her harsh demeanor. "That's what friends are for. We look out for each other."

Her reassurances did little to calm the boiling emotions within Aileen, who struggled to find the right words to say. The lightning dragoness's lip shook her eyes mere slits on the verge of tears. Something on her mind was scaring her.

"I'm so sorry, Cynder… This was supposed to be a breakthrough for me, a chance at closure, but Cyrus couldn't hold back. He is devoted to a cause, while I'm the easily-attached one. After all, you've done for me, for my egg, we can never be friends despite that."

Cynder almost couldn't trust her hearing, mistaking her words for ungratefulness. "So, you simply want to sever all contacts with me just because Cyrus is close-minded, I thought higher of you than that. And after all that, my family and I have done for you. Have you lost your mind?"

"Cynder no! Every brand-new opportunity you've given my family and I has been a breath of fresh air in our lives, which is precisely why I must let go of you. This was a terrible mistake that I have made, and now I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"But why refuse my help? There is no limit to how far I'd extend my reach to save those I care for." Cynder placed a paw on her friend's shoulder. "I care about you, Aileen!"

"And I'm eternally indebted to you for that, but I can't put you through this hardship. It's not right for me to do that to you."

Cynder was starting to lose her patience, it was time for passive-aggressiveness be set aside for the same of drawing an answer. The beating around the bush was not faring well, she'd have to accept that fact and claw straight for the deep roots.

"Tell me who's hunting you now! Spyro and I will see to it that no harm will come to you or any of your loved ones. And honestly, I find it hard to believe someone would go after an innocent family like yours. So, something here isn't really adding up, meaning your hiding something from me. Something that I could probably know this very instant."

Aileen squeaked fearfully, cowering at the mention of Spyro. At least this method would bear fruits sooner or later.

"Cynder, you have to trust me. If you don't let me go right now, Spyro won't be able to do anything."

Cynder twitched at the ominous statement. If this whole ordeal were directly related to her family, there would be more than answers Aileen would have to give. Her eyes scrunched down to narrow slits, the situation taking a more in-depth, personal route.

"Elaborate…"

"Family comes first, right?"

"Which is precisely why you'll spill the beans now!"

Her claw was raised to the air, the silvery talons glistened under the bright sun, flickering tongues of shadow danced between them like an electric current.

"What are you doing?" Aileen feared that her hesitation would not bode her well against a physically capable opponent.

"If you don't reveal your true intentions in the next few moments, I'll have to delve deep into your subconscious to find out on my own. And believe me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of that."

The ever so faint whispers of shadow reminded her of its frightening potent power. She never figured Cynder would take the forceful approach.

"You can…"

"Read minds? Yes, it's a favorite habit of mine."

That wasn't an entirely accurate statement. Sure, Cynder was good at reading people through their expressions, a natural gift of hers. The initial dislike thrown at her expense drove her to hone that social skill, but she never actually possessed the ability to browse someone's thoughts, as if their brain was a file cabinet. The shadow element didn't have that unique ability, nor did any element for that matter.

Then again, she never revealed her true, corrupted magical repertoire to anyone, so she could come up with a little lie to manipulate her foes. The power of intimidation was potent in its own way.

"Please don't do this," Aileen begged.

"You didn't think that I wouldn't notice that you've been heading towards my home, did you?" Her claw approached the feared snout menacingly.

"This is unjust, all I wanted was a peaceful life…"

The tears started to flow.

Tears of guilt.

"And I'm willing to help you get appropriately settled, but only if you cooperate and give me the answers that I want.

"It's not that simple."

"Make it simpler then, damn it!"

The burden weighing on her shoulders, Cynder's pressure added to it, left the dragoness in a mess, a guilt-ridden mess. "How many times do I have to say sorry?" She exclaimed every word through quaking sobs.

"Sorry won't cut it, give me a reason not to interrogate you the hard way."

"Because the life of my child is on the line!" Aileen cried. "They own my baby, they own my Cyrus, and they own me! Everything that I hold dearly is held within their grasp! My family belongs to them!"

Cynder was left speechless, her sympathy for Aileen was great. She too knew the pain of acting against your free will. It was the very thing that made her a feared individual, even by today's standards. Anyone with two ears and mouth had heard her name spoken in various tongues and attitudes. Understanding now that intimidation was not her ally, Cynder ceased her shadow hostilities.

"What do you mean by them?"

Aileen answered, taking shaky breaths as she did. "A radical group who seek nothing else but to undo all of your accomplishments. To undo the rights, you've made and revert to the olden ways of the world. They needed an insider within Warfang, getting close to you was just a lucky bonus to them."

Cynder's heart cracked, the remainders of her trust wafted off from the slits on the aching muscle. This was indeed a lot to take in but stopping now wouldn't help her understand what made Aileen this upset.

"You used me… For what?"

"It was all a ruse! The incident at the gate, becoming friends, and laying my egg! It's my fault that I took a liking to you, Cynder. It was never my mission to get attached to you or any member of your family. I should've never… I don't deserve to be called a mother."

"There's still a chance to fix your life, reveal the whole truth."

Aileen's shoulders slumped, and her downcast eyes faced the ground. "What's the point? By the time I tell you, I'll already be dead to them! Come midnight, I'll be dead in some alley with wings clipped, and my throat slashed… that's if they even stop there."

"You're going to be dead a lot sooner if you keep avoiding my questions," Cynder growled. "What were you and Cyrus up to?"

"Cyrus…," Aileen breathed. "He's gonna attempt to do something incredibly stupid, thinking the odds are stacked in his favor. If I don't stop him, he's going to die, and I do not want to lose my mate before our child is born."

"Is he facing this radical group head on?"

"No, he's working for them. He's on an entirely different mission, which is the reason why I am heading in this direction. If I can get to him before it happens, I can try to convince him to abandon his target?"

"And? What's his target?"

Aileen straightened up her voice and uttered slowly for Cynder to comprehend.

"He's going to try and assassinate Spyro."

* * *

Taking a deep breath through the nose, the purple dragon peered around the lower floor of his spacious home. His lilac eyes scanned the room, seeking out every little nook and cranny, knowing that something was hiding amongst the shadows. He flexed his ear muscles, hoping to capture a rogue sound in the calm, peaceful air Spyro found himself in, but to his displeasure, he didn't hear anything.

It was oddly quiet.

Something was amiss, and Spyro could taste it, leaving an unpleasant feeling in his mouth that not even a sip of water or ale could wash down. Smacking his lips and shaking his muzzle in complete disgust, the large drake lumbered the perimeter of the lower floor, continuing his search for the little monster that cowered in the darkness.

He let his mind drift as he usually allowed himself to do, seeing as though there wasn't a black dragoness from stopping him. The drake enjoyed letting his thoughts wander off into some imaginary place while he had the house to himself, freeing the stress and achiness of past days.

But at that moment, that was when he heard the sound he had been searching for. It came in the form of a suppressed giggle from behind a nearby curtain. From a distance, he could make out four little blue paws shaking fearfully. The purple drake smiled quietly, taking in the sight that he saw before him. The curtain was thick and red, but he could still make out the shape of a plump, baby dragoness playfully hiding from her father.

Spyro grinned as he joyfully rolled his eyes, knowing that his daughter still hadn't grasped that the concept of, 'If I can't see you, you can't see me,' was indeed a failed one, but quickly remembered that she was still only a baby. Although, that didn't mean he couldn't tease her just a little bit.

He audibled a goofy noise, hoping to entice a reaction out of his yearling, to which the dragon got a response: another snicker louder than the previous one. To Avala, this was a dead giveaway, but to her father, this was but another fun game he enjoyed playing.

"Who made that noise?" Spyro asked loudly, his voice high-pitched like that of a child. "I thought I was home all alone!"

The child laughed.

"There it is again," Spyro spoke fearfully. "The evil, little monster that lives in my home has come to take me away forever. Is there no one to save me? Anyone?"

Avala giggled hysterically, her little paws revealed from under the drapes jumping on the tips of their toes, but she still decided to remain hiding, knowing that she'd be chased or tickled if she revealed herself.

Spyro was aware that he had her within his grasp but also knew that he could drag this on forever. Hearing his daughter laugh made his heart flutter, filling him with the prideful feelings of being a young father. Just the sound of his little girl's contentment was enough to raise the spirits of a demoralized army, easily capable of making her daddy happy.

The smiling father stepped towards his concealed daughter, his paws touched the ground as light as a feather, making no sound, adding to the suspense that was building in his gut. He wanted to surprise her, but not enough to make her cry or cause an unfortunate accident on the floor; unfortunately, Spyro had some experience with both in his journey of being a new parent.

Spyro bent his head down towards the drapes, his face inches away from Avala who still hid behind the cloth fixture.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to hunt down this monster…," Spyro whispered softly into the drape, pushing his muzzle forward, feeling the small body of his daughter on the tip of his nose. "And tickle her!"

The purple dragon brushed the drape aside to reveal a frightened, but laughing, ice dragoness staring up at him. He couldn't help but flush at how adorable his baby girl was, her small features reminding him a lot of Cynder.

Her ice blue body and blue ocean chest looked good on her, coinciding seamlessly with her personality. The dark blue markings and freckles on her tiny face complimented her cute image, especially with her emerald green eyes.

Spyro made silly faces and spoke in a comical tone as he proceeded to firmly tickle Avala, who was squirming on her back underneath her father's massive paw that tickled at her tummy and neck.

She laughed uncontrollably until finally, she managed to free herself from the clutches of her father. The little dragoness weaved between her father's legs, jumping up to poke at his belly and armpits, hoping to get some payback.

Being the good father that he was, Spyro played along, pretending to be mortally wounded as he rolled onto his side. "Oh…! She got me! The little monster has struck down the purple giant! The light is fading… I see a white light at the end of the tunnel… Must move towards the light… and... Death…"

 _Might have milked that just a tad too much! But who cares, it's a yearling!_

Spyro took a deep breath, letting the fake death take him swiftly as his eyes rolled back into his skull and his tongue plopped out of his mouth. All four of his legs stuck straight in the air for dramatic effect; not like a yearling would know what that is anyway. Anyone that walked on the pair would assume that the Ancestors finally came to fetch their golden boy and return him to the heavens above.

A final exhale of air was heard, and the purple one was now dead.

Avala tilted her head in confusion, carefully sniffing her father's face as she cautiously poked his cheek. She whimpered sadly; all the fun having been exhausted from her small frame. She carefully opened one of her father's eyes, gazing into his giant purple orbs, looking for any signs of life.

Spyro held back a laugh due to her struggle to understand the concept of playing dead. She hadn't learned how to talk just yet, despite it being common for most hatchlings to acquire their voice in their first year of growth, but her features spoke a thousand sentences. The purple dragon wasn't expecting her to start nuzzling his face, licking at his eyelids and muzzle. He felt her soft scales press up against his face, but along with the occasional feeling of a wet tongue, Spyro could no longer keep his composure, his nose twitched, and his eyes opened revealing a truly remarkable sight.

Avala had rested her entire head on his nose, looking into his purple eyes with a toothy grin. She jumped excitedly at the sight of her daddy waking up, dropping onto his head, and giving him many _'I missed you'_ kisses. She laid atop his head between his horns, looking down at his eyes, her baby claws gently kneaded his forehead scales.

The purple drake smirked at her, slowly standing up to his full height, his eyes maintaining on the precious bundle on top of his head. A fall from that height would easily break fragile baby bones, something Spyro was not about to let happen. Cynder would bury him in the dirt if she came home to find her baby hurt. So, he remained cautious, taking slow, methodical steps around the room, moving his head up and down and side to side with precise movements, earning giggle after giggle from his little girl.

Avala eventually tapped on her father's head, her request to be set down met with her dad stopping in his tracks. But what she wasn't expecting was for Spyro's entire head to tilt forward, launching her off her perch and into his front paws that had cupped themselves together. The ice dragoness landed on her back, lying comfortably in the drake's massive claws. She strained her neck to meet his affectionate gaze, feeling his overwhelming fondness pour unto her.

Spyro rejoiced at the wholesome moment, admiring the divine baby girl his mate and him brought into the world. Her sweet little scent filled his nose as he leaned down to kiss her on the snout, a purr escaping her throat while she rubbed her face against his cheek. She might have been only a yearling, but she knew a quiet, caring display when she saw one; or in this case, felt one.

He sighed happily as he kissed her once more. "By the Ancestors, I never thought I could love something so much until I was blessed with you. I also realize that you might not understand some of these words that I am saying..." The purple drake had to chuckle a bit at that, knowing that his words were falling on a child's ears.

Spyro smiled. "But that is okay, because no matter what, just remember that daddy will always love you forever and always. Now… how about another game of hide-and-seek?" He watched her emerald orbs light up in interest, bringing his paws down to the ground and gingerly rolling her onto four paws.

"Now remember what mommy said. We have to stay on this floor when we play, okay?"

"She's a yearling, dummy! Why do you even bother with the explanations?" Cynder had reminded continuously that to him many times whenever she caught him talking to the little dragoness, to which he would always roll his eyes.

Speaking to his daughter was an interaction he preferred over small talk with most dragons he met daily, knowing that filling her mind with nourishment or simple small talk would help her develop in the coming years.

Besides, having another pair of ears to listen to his most profound thoughts was a real treat for Spyro. Whenever Cynder was not around, his little cutie was there to fill up his time and act as a great listener, as all she could do was just… listen. Didn't matter that she could not understand him, he felt revitalized to be able to voice all his doubts to another being.

Spyro shrugged as he softly bumped against Avala's rump with his snout, encouraging her to seek out a hiding place. "Go on, little one. You go and hide, and then daddy will come and find you, okay?"

Avala blinked up at him, tilting her head slightly at her father's words. But she must have understood enough to wait for him to at least cover his eyes. She sat down, covering both of her eyes with her tiny paws.

"Right, of course," Spyro chuckled at his daughter's wits, shielding his eyes as he spoke. "There… is that better?" A heartbeat later he heard a grumble of approval and the pitter patter of little feet scampering off to find a new place to hide.

"Alright, I'm going to start counting. One… two… three…" Not wanting to cheat but knowing he couldn't technically let her out of his sight, Spyro peeked through the cracks between his claws, his mouth motoring off digits as he scanned the room for the little ball of blue scales. "...Four… five… six…"

It took him only a few seconds to spot her along the far wall, sneaking around and occasionally eyeballing her father, who closed the gap in his toes just to open them back up when she turned away. He knew exactly where she was going to hide, having sniffed out all her favorite hiding places in previous games; however, seeking his daughter again was just as exciting as the last time.

"...Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten! Here I come!"

The large purple drake dropped his paws and pretended to not see Avala frantically scramble into her hiding space, smirking at her commitment to the game, despite her silly failure to find a challenging spot.

"Now, where could she have gone?" He called in faked befuddlement.

Spyro sauntered in the general direction of the child's concealed spot, brushing aside curtains and blankets, acting as though the yearling could be hidden anywhere.

He could practically smell her tension, contained excitement threatening to burst in bundles of joy. It was heartwarming to share these happy, carefree hours without worry for the future. Contentment brimmed within him as he steadily sealed a bond with his little offspring. He could only hope she'd hold onto this bond if he would.

Taking solace in the thought that she was still a mere child and that there was plenty of time to make long-lasting family memories, he focused on their game. It was as simple as children's' games could get, yet he comprehended its importance. After all, he used to play hide and seek all the time during his days at the swamp.

He already knew her hiding spot, hearing her small body shuffle inside the only cupboard in the hall. It was decorated with handmade glass sculptures, extremely fragile so he had to be careful. He never admitted it, but last time there was an accident involving household objects he took the blame willingly for Avala. His significant form made his story believable too, even though he was a terrible liar.

He still regretted that lie too, his pure intentions never allowed him to deceive his own mate.

What he'd do for his little one though went beyond his usual self.

With a light step, he neared the cupboard, silent so as not to startle his daughter inside and have her bump her head or worse.

The blunt side of his claws tapped on the hollow wood three times, generating an echoey sound. "Knock knock…" A burst of jolly laughter responded to his plea for entry, but the cupboard doors didn't swing open. Yet, his ears captured a returning knock.

He was left bewildered, figuring it was Avala knocking back for a moment.

Then the knocking resonated throughout the room in a more frantic, booming pattern. It was not made by the miniscule paws of a baby dragon but from someone knocking on the home's front door. Even though it was not uncommon for his family to receive unexpected guests, it still made the purple drake stand on edge instinctively.

"Easy, Spyro," The drake muttered, patting himself on the chest. "Not like a war is coming. Probably nothing serious anyway."

The purple dragon approached the door, briefly disregarding the game he was playing with Avala, knowing he'd be right back at it once the disturbance was taken care of. He reached for the door handle and pulled it open, revealing someone that brought a smile to his face.

"Tanzim! What a pleasant surprise!"

The young fire drake returned the smile with an even wider one. His body bore no armor revealing the dark red scales that made up his underbelly. He dipped his head respectfully, happy that the purple one answered his repeated knocks.

"Good morning, Master Spyro. I just wanted to take you up on your offer and talk for a few moments. That's if it's still on the table, of course. I hope I'm not disturbing you at all."

"No, nonsense!" Spyro insisted, fully opening the door. "I've just been busying myself with my daughter all morning. A conversation would be a nice break from parenting constantly."

Tanzim smirked as he entered the purple dragon's large home, his eyes in pure awe at the sheer size of it all. "You have a very nice home. I've heard about how large it actually was, but seeing it now… it's impressive, to say the least."

"Trust me, it is nice to have so many amenities all under one roof," Spyro replied, closing the door and walking towards the fire guard. "But… seeing as though I can grow distant of materialistic things rather easily, I'd take a smaller cottage in the woods any day. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. I must check on Avala. Little snowball is still hiding."

"Very well," Tanzim shrugged, letting out a relaxed sigh as he found himself some comfort a nearby pile of cushions. "Though I find it hard to imagine your mate wanting the same."

"Cynder has adjusted to the city life better than I have," Spyro called over his shoulder as he approached his daughter's hiding place. "Even though she'd be okay with living out in the countryside, I don't think that's where she would want Avala to be raised, you know?"

"Sounds understandable. Better and plentiful opportunities too."

"Certainly but growing up in the rugged side of the world has its own charm. The wilds provide our kind with invaluable experiences foreign to the protective confines of the city, dragons are drawn to nature like all predators. Such lifestyle got me this far if it means anything."

Spyro stopped in his tracks directly in front of the wooden cupboard, leaning his head down towards the two hatches affixed to its face. With a gentle knocking, the purple drake mumbled to his little ice baby.

"Avala," he whispered. "Daddy has a friend over. Do you wanna come and say hi?"

Not even a few breaths later, the door slowly opened with a creaking noise, revealing the soft, blue scaled draken within the wooden sanctuary. Avala beamed a happy grin as she bounced out of the cupboard, her stubby, little legs temporarily stumbling, nearly sending her crashing to the floor.

Spyro leaned down and nuzzled her softly, hearing happy coos and feeling a wet tongue against his muzzle was the only response that he needed before turning back towards Tanzim, gently coaxing his daughter to follow. His feet barely left the ground as he slowly shuffled to avoid getting a hatchling under his toes.

The purple dragon stopped and laid down on a pile of his own cushions, his daughter scampering up after him. She avoided looking at Tanzim, a quiet whimper escaping her muzzle, staring longingly up at her father for some form of comfort. Spyro crossed his paws, building a wall with his legs, shielding the petite dragoness.

He flashed Tanzim an apologetic smirk.

"Sorry, she gets a little shy around new people," Spyro spilled, looking down at Avala, who had snuggled up against his chest. "She'll warm up to you on her own terms. She can be a bit of a snob if she feels antagonized. Just give her time, and she'll come around and ask to play."

Tanzim shrugged in understanding. "It's alright. Can't blame a child for being cautious around new folks. But if she is as excited as she looks, then I am more than content with waiting to meet her. Makes for a better experience in my opinion."

Spyro let out a low chuckle. "Whatever helps you fly, young dragon. But let's talk until that time comes, I'm curious to know why you chose to visit. I hope everything is going okay with you and Lyla." He expected to see a flinch or a slight grimace at the sound of the dragoness's name, but instead, the purple drake saw nothing but a lovestruck expression.

"I have never been so sure about sharing a bond with anyone," Tanzim breathed happily. "Lyla brings back the better part of me that I thought had long been diminished. It sends my heart racing to wake up and see her sleeping next to me, not a single care in the world and not one issue we can't face together."

"That's really nice to hear," Spyro praised firmly. "There hasn't been a day that goes by where I don't think to stop to think how you two are doing. My first impressions of your relationship were… for lack of a better term, unpleasant. I'm sincere when I say that I thought she was going to plunge her claws in your scales."

Tanzim shuddered, shaking the nasty thought of potential bodily harm away from his mind. "Believe me, I thought so too. I even asked her that same day after she helped with that family, and she told me something very similar, give or take a few rather very violent words and phrases, mostly give, of course."

"How'd you respond to that?"

"Smiled, might have blushed a little bit, and maybe even a cold shiver ran up and down my spine," The fire drake chuckled. "Lyla didn't take too kindly to that as she planted a firm paw against my cheek, which was well deserved. And to make matters worse, this was after I had tried to make amends for breaking up with her like a fool."

Spyro groaned at the words through gritted teeth, having been in the young dragon's scales many times before. "She probably didn't apologize for that, did she? Not that I would have expected her to, after everything that's happened between the two of you, and the many unkind words I've had the displeasure of hearing."

"Does a kiss count as an apology?" Tanzim asked, his muzzle drawn back in a sly smirk.

"How you managed to luck out with a result like that baffles me, but to answer your question, I think a kiss from the girl you love is more than an apology in my book," Spyro answered, his paws shifting to accommodate the squirming, sleeping baby nestled against him. "It's a silent promise that you'll see past that unfortunate history in hopes of becoming a better, more seamless, couple. Cynder and I had to do it too, you know!"

"If that's the case, then in the last month, she and I have probably made more promises to each other than the whole city combined," Tanzim laughed. "In fact, we made about six or seven promises this morning alone. It would have been ten, but I ran away before the minx could catch me."

Spyro smiled, a chuckle escaping his lips. "So, if you ran away from her, are you going to be feeling some repercussions when you return home?"

"Probably…," the fire drake mumbled. "She's more terrifying than she appears, her claws are just as sharp as her tongue, and Lyla knows how to make me submit when I don't want to. I'm completely blunt when I ask this but is that the same for your relationship with Cynder? Is she in charge of the house?"

"I think that's how it is for all draconic couples," Spyro answered simply. "A female carries a certain power and weight in their smaller, delicate frame that no male could ever match. It doesn't matter how hard we try to overcome it; how hard we try to avoid its existence. In the end, a male never wins those battles, because our love towards our mates prevails over our pride."

The purple dragon looked upon his snoozing daughter curled up against his warm body. "But a child is undeniably the most powerful being to ever be created. Whenever it's just Avala and me, she's the one that makes the decisions. Everything has to revolve around her."

Tanzim strained his head to look over the drake's purple legs to observe the slumbering dragoness, sighing at how something could possibly be so cute. His eyes aimed up towards the much larger drake, who nodded his approval. He gulped skeptically, unsure how to interpret the Savior's nod.

"Would you like to hold her?"

"Sure," Tanzim said without hesitation. "But I thought she didn't like new people. What if she wakes up and finds herself in the paws of a stranger? Won't she try to flee?"

Spyro waved a paw dismissively. "Avala doesn't squirm. She might squeal every now and then, but if I'm close, she feels comfortable. Here, knock yourself out."

With gentle motions, Spyro lifted the baby dragoness and pressed her close to his chest, inviting the red drake towards him with a free paw. Avala was practically noiseless, except for a wide yawn during which she bared her small undeveloped fangs, sharp as daggers. He looked up at Tanzim, who sat eagerly in front of him, his front paws bouncing with anticipation. So, staying as silent as they could, Spyro held Avala out for Tanzim to grab hold.

Tanzim took a deep, filling breath, his skepticism escaping his body as he exhaled. Reaching out towards the blue yearling, he found himself brimming with the solace that consumed his whole being. He smiled as Spyro placed the sleeping baby in his outstretched paws, his mind and mouth wholly lost for words as he pulled her close to him. Her small body was soft and felt as fragile as glass. When Tanzim took a seat, he fixed his gaze solely on her.

Spyro grumbled happily, seeing the gifted potential of the young drake, knowing that when the time came, he'd make an excellent father of his own. He watched Avala snuggle happily against the dark red scales of Tanzim's chest, knowing that she was comfortable being in his hold so long as she was warm and happy.

"Are you alright with watching her for just a moment? Cynder left so early this morning that I forgot to feed myself."

Tanzim nodded but didn't say a word. His mind and eyes were focused on Avala sleeping against his body, a light chuckled escaping his lips. He felt proud and privileged to hold the child of the world's saviors. A moment like this was meant to be cherished and remembered, knowing that very few individuals were bestowed with such an honor.

Feeling confident that Tanzim could watch his child, Spyro took to his feet and swiftly made his way out of the room, reassuring to his young friend he'll be back shortly.

In the kitchen, he breezed through their food supplies to prepare something quick, aiming to treat his unexpected guest as his tacky behavior urged him to do so. As he dipped his head to look for utensils in a drawer, his eye caught the shuffled, wrinkled edge of the carpet decorating the spacious chamber.

His natural curiosity was piqued, Cynder was obsessed with perfection embellishment, so that wasn't like her to leave a single corner of the house untidy. It couldn't have been Avala either, the infant never left his sight from the limits of the kid's room and living hall and besides that...

She was too small to open doors.

"Pfff, cursed rats!" He commented with indignancy as he fixed the carpet's edge.

He shifted back to the counter, finding the prospect of getting his claws dirty, he decided to use a sharp knife to cut the meat, as he hummed to himself. Culinary was a secret hobby of his when Cynder was not around, even if he had the tendency to make a mess of the kitchen.

He wasn't that specialized in any particularly complicated recipe, mostly skills he picked up in the wild that the drake transferred to the kitchen, yet the meat he usually prepared was palatable.

 _Thud_

He almost cut his toe when he abruptly brought the knife down in surprise, taking a hefty slab of meat on the way.

That sound came from upstairs, Tanzim and Avala were next-door, and he doubted the young guard would disobey his demands.

 _Dread_

His old friend that accompanied him through dark times crept up on his back, from scale to scale the shiver expanded across his body.

 _Another thud_

He calculated the pattern of footsteps, as well as the weight put into them. The floor above was wooden, and the beams supporting it creaked ever so slightly. Yet his warrior's instinct picked up the faintest of noises, there was no need to panic.

Even when the possibility of a potential burglar lingered.

Even if his daughter's life could be on the line.

Now the panic started getting to his mind, this was not a topic he'd like to dwell on for too long. Facing the enemy required a clear and conscience-free psych. There was a dragon on the floor above him, the pattern clearly betrayed his quadruped form, not to mention the weight, this dragon was his size, if not more significant.

Combine that with the shuffled carpet, and he was positive an intruder was stalking his house, and they probably weren't around for an autograph. Spyro relaxed his shoulders, relieving himself of the tension. No reason to give his knowledge of an unwanted guest away.

However, that did not explain the reason why all these rare occurrences showed up on two different floors, were they searching for something, his best bet was valuables. There was no better place to raid than the obviously wealthy household of the most influential dragon in the city.

And, the most dangerous.

Then a soft breeze slashed at the nape of his neck, that could only mean one thing. He turned to find the glass window half-open from the outside no doubt. This wasn't a heist; someone was going for him. Through the darkness pouring outside, he could barely spot anything. How he wished Cynder was here.

Next came a creaking door and yet another thud, it drove him crazy, and he cared little if he betrayed his alerted posture. He had other priorities first.

Like getting to the two dragons in the living room, who hadn't uttered a word, he could assume they weren't aware or worse.

Who was he kidding? It was always the worse in his case, old wounds opened again, another rescue he figured.

He could either take the way back to the living hall or exit to the main staircase and root out the problem right then and there. The door that was now open led there too. He peered through the slight crack, finding his stalling to be useless. Then the light beyond the door faded out of existence, the uncalled-for change made him flinch, not particularly excited to step in the dark without knowledge of the enemy's capabilities. He could be outnumbered for all he knew.

Then again, that never stopped him before. On the plus side, he had a good sense of his surroundings. With a light step, he inched closer and snapped two talons, sparks flying from his paw, the light instantly came back brighter revealing a multitude of open doors on the specific floor. The enemy was trying to confuse him. He was being circled from all sides and levels, leading up to the inevitable ambush.

The light poured through the doors and into rooms, revealing various objects near each entrance, familiar shapes to Spyro of household curiosities. Nonetheless, he was not prepared to spot the shadow of a draconic form plastered against a wooden door, an eerie sight that made his heart jump to his throat, especially at the rate at which the shadow disappeared.

Whoever this assailant was, they really took their sweet time. He looked back to the dimly lit staircase, nothing in sight. The fact that he had such an enormous ground to cover put even more strain on him.

Another shadow caught his attention, it was a simple vase, decorating a pillar, unimportant. However, his fighting days may have been long gone, but his perception was still keen as an eagle's.

The shadow was facing the opposite way of its supposed natural direction, he could tell by the glowing magical light hovering above.

He'd trained for years after Malefor with his mate, studying the abilities of poison, shadow, wind, and fear to get a better understanding of both sides of the universe. To say he hadn't picked up a few tricks on how to counter their dark influence during sparring sessions was an understatement.

Without focusing much on the false shadow, he retreated, checked his flank, then assumed a faked battle stance. Two quick taps of his paw on the marble floor of the staircase were enough to confirm his suspicions, green energy emanated from his claws.

He'd care for damage control later.

A pillar of marble, as if it were roughly sculptured by amateur paws, sprouted beneath the dark void, bursting with the green energy of earthly magic and toppled over the vase, distorting the fake shadow. As expected, a hurt dragon, about half his size fazed into the physical world and bumped against the wall with a groan. He'd performed the same move on the hiding Cynder before to her dismay countless times. If a shadow dragon is concealed by darkness, destroying their cover with potent magic was enough to flush them in the open.

His magic was way too potent, to the point of infinite possibilities opening to him.

The grunting shadow drake scampered against the wall; his spine quaked from the violent blunt hit he took. Cut short of his breath he struggled to lift a paw, which was swiftly pinned against a soft polished wooden wall by an accurately projected kitchen knife. The crunching noise as his paw stuck to the wall and his gasp set off other loud movements in the house, Spyro realized that they weren't alone; the sole intruder had brought friends.

The dragon pulled at his pinned leg in despair, yet when Spyro was on top of him it was already late, his quick form was no much for sheer brute strength. He swiped with the free paw, and all he accomplished was getting it in a painful grip and a second claw grasping his throat. His heavy gasps quickened as the legendary dragon pierced his hide ever so slightly with natural daggers.

"Where are your friends hiding and maybe I might just let you live?" He demanded with a cold, unwavering stare.

The stalker struggled briefly to no use, not even slipping in the shadows would save him, Spyro had an iron grip on him. They weren't joking when they said darkness can't hide from the hero of light.

"Killing me… should be the least of your worries, not that I'm falling for your bluff. You are just as we suspected, a coward… a spineless… tainted coward." He spat out with malice.

"Why are you here?" There was no time to be gentle, he was always afraid of himself due to the harshness he exerted on the field despite its necessity.

What he despised was how naturally it came to him, to instill pain. It was a struggle to look at himself in the mirror the first days after the war.

"Go take a hike…"

Spyro ignored the comment and raised a brow in irritation, that was not the answer he wanted.

"Have it your way."

Spyro engulfed his fist in solid stone and delivered a swift punch to the intruder's face; however, murdering his own kin was not in his best interest, even for the stalkers. The pummeling shot a jolt of pain and sent his skull crashing against the hard wall, which caved from the impact. The concussed dragon was rendered unconscious. Spyro turned just in time to avoid a well-placed ice projectile that whizzed past his head, shattering on the wall in a sprinkle of shards. He finally got a full view of his other two watchers who had rushed to their comrades' aid.

"Cyrus?" Spyro was taken back by the revelation, he always felt uneasy around the burly male, but the whole situation had left him stunned. "What are you doing here?"

Cyrus who was accompanied by a female earth warrior glared back with his trademark malicious expression. "To answer your previous question, we're here to see to your permanent disposal."

He nodded to the dragoness as they saw Spyro assume a pouncing stance, a snarl outlining his muzzle.

"Get him!"

* * *

 **A/N: A bit early for my liking but I figured this chapter checked all my boxes enough to have the right to be posted. I can't thank my beta reader, TheDragonPhylakas, enough for helping me write the endings for each of the scenes. He has the tendency to politely take over and write for me due to my annoying ability of dragging things on for eternity. Check out his profile and his content, he'd appreciate some feedback on his story.**

 **FYI This is a flashback chapter**

 **Thanks for being great viewers and making this story successful! Until next time, God Bless and Take Care!**

 **Atlas FF Out**


	13. Mistakes of the Past

**Act II : Lost Lineage**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Mistakes of the Past**

* * *

Peacefulness reigned over nature during this beautiful morning, the outside world was oblivious to the spontaneous havoc that erupted out of the blue. What once was a relaxed, enjoyable day in the Spyro household had shifted to a scene straight out of a horror novel. A raging fury of teeth, claws, and elemental projectiles ravaged hallways and passages, only a war-torn battleground left as evidence of the valiant struggle.

The sound of a dominant hind leg striking an individual's body reverberated down the hall, followed closely by a cringe-worthy cracking of a miserable sod's back nearly snapping against a marble wall. Fortunately for them, a sore spine was the least of their worries; launching an attack in the home of the single most dangerous dragon was next to suicide itself.

Spyro barely had time to recover from the onslaught of attacks, as the shadow drake picked himself up off the ground, the second attacker was stalking him from the flanks. Spyro fixed his gaze on her through slitted eyes, his mouth pulled back in a snarl. The smaller, green dragoness was to his right, her lithe body crouched low and ready to pounce, a series of moderate slashes decorated her frame. The purple dragon was annoyed his claws hadn't dug just a little bit deeper, his main effort to incapacitate his foes was proving a challenge on its own. His body wanted to strip them of their scales, but his mind kept such ill thoughts from becoming a reality, insisting he remains true to his morals and codes.

He only allowed himself to be distracted briefly by the betrayer: Cyrus.

The once trustworthy ice drake had stuck himself in a corner to watch the scene unfold. His muscles were tensed, and his eyes were stern and sharp as the daggers he had for claws. His piercing gaze stabbed into Spyro's hide, spewing pure hatred and disgust towards the acclaimed purple hero. But since he had revealed himself, he continued to stow away far from the battle.

 _Why?_

Before he could play his own game of mental debate, the dragoness lunged at Spyro's neck. He ducked in the nick of time, shooting up into the air and ramming his horns into her exposed belly. Her light body groaned against his force as he slammed her onto her back, followed by a big clenched fist striking her across the face. She countered with fangs as she bit into Spyro's foreleg, the purple drake howled in pain as he kicked her away, watching her cough up a mouthful of blood, the fire in her eyes burning strong.

Out of nowhere as if on cue, the shadow drake emerged from a nearby splotch of darkness with claws extended and fangs wide open. Spyro swiftly spun around, his tail blade smacking the side of the drake's head, sending him careening to the floor. He stood and lunged again, this time successfully tackling Spyro to the ground, who had not expected the retaliation. Diverting his attention between foes was a challenge despite his unmatched reflexes.

At that point, both of his assailants were on him, pinning him to the ground. Spyro didn't think these two could overtake him so quickly, even he who saved the world can get a bit out of practice when you've been heralding an era of peace for many years. He could feel the earth magic wrapping around his legs and throat, slowly stiffening his limbs into a splayed-out posture. Even if he tried to break free, the two attackers were likely to kill him before he got the chance to fight back.

But if he didn't fight back now, it would give the intruders complete control of the situation. His daughter's life was on the line. If they killed him then and there, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her and Tanzim as well. His conscience would never be able to rest no matter what state he was in dead or alive, it would forever haunt him.

If he didn't act now, Cyrus would be able to walk right up to him and slit his throat without any resistance whatsoever.

With the thought of protecting his daughter in mind, Spyro began to struggle violently, his body beginning to glow with green energy. The rocks around his scales began to crumble, overwhelming the earth dragoness's power as she fought to keep him contained. The shadow drake was just as ineffective with his ability, resorting to throwing his clenched fists at exposed areas in the stone, the strikes were filled with power, but fell on durable, battle-hardened scales of a legendary purple dragon. The drake aimed a killing blow at his restrained head, but the paw landed on fangs craving with bloodlust, the same paw that had been punctured earlier by the knife.

Spyro ground his teeth against the scales, savaging the paw that spasmed with jolts of pain. Desperation to live and protect his loved ones brought out the wild side of him, woe those who dare stand in his way then. Muscles strained with adrenaline as he flexed his body, slowly shattering the substantial body prison that he no longer wished to be consumed by. Soon enough, his legs, neck, and tail were all rid of the stone, giving his body a natural formation of armor while allowing him to move freely. He roared in anger as his body struck against the dragoness, dropping her green-scaled hide to the floor. Her attempt to bind him in stone not only undermined, but her magical reserves were now depleted, a drained vessel she was, nothing but a mere punching bag for the purple dragon. Spyro cut his gnawing at the mauled paw abruptly, and the shadow dragon stumbled back from the unexpected release.

The iron taste was hardly palatable, gulping down his own brethren's life essence was considered an atrocity, so the defending dragon had the courtesy of spitting a bloody glob of saliva first. Cyrus was unnerved to see that the blood wasn't even his, this fight's winner was already decided, the bruises, cuts, and dents on Spyro were mere hindrances to the inevitable end.

"Cyrus… Help!" He cried in agony, limping at this point. The two anguished words came out broken due to the air escaping his lungs fast.

Reaching deep within his power core, Spyro flowed pure, earthly energy into his paws. He hunched over, his entire body reared onto his hind legs as his claws began to envelop in rock, catching the attackers by surprise. A look of malice filled his eyes as he eyeballed everyone carefully. The dragoness was pulling herself back to unsteady paws, and the drake stood by her side, crouching low and ready to pounce.

"Come on!" Spyro hissed challengingly.

The drake lunged, taking the bait of the deadly trap the purple had set.

Spyro dropped his weight and shot upwards with his balled, stone fists, landing a swift blow to the shadow's lower jaw. A stomach lurching crack filled the air, the victim crashed onto his back, his mouth having been dislocated, possibly broken into multiple pieces. Yet somehow, someway, the drake stood up once more, his lower jaw was crooked with numerous missing or broken fangs, but the pain of tears in his eyes was equally matched with anger, hate, and anticipation for revenge.

The earth dragoness was back in the fight shortly after, with acknowledging glances the two assassins flanked Spyro from both sides, she winced slightly upon seeing her partners dismay.

Spyro had little time to react, assessing the situation, and coming up with a bright idea, he sidestepped away from the earth dragoness and elbowed the weakened male coming from his right. Him being the weak link of the duo took the hit to his wasted jaw and lost his footing. The narrow combat space, however, didn't spare him from a nasty laceration on his shoulder. The earth dragoness expected him to flinch yet was met with a guttural growl, and her bloody paw was locked in a hold.

The purple drake rose to an intimidating two-footed stance and raised the small framed drakaina into the air, who squealed with shock and discomfort. Upon gaining momentum, he spun and literally shot her like a bolt fired from a crossbow, she crashed into a hardwood case embellished with glass statues, the deafening crystalline sounds reminded him of Cynder's Siren Scream.

 _She'll scold me for that later._

"If you truly value your lives, you'll leave my home at once," Spyro panted heavily, still surprised he managed to ragdoll the dragoness as he did. He sucked in a deep breath of air, enjoying its gentle nourishment. "Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."

The shadow dragon growled, ignoring his demand and instead resorted to charging Spyro with murderous intent. Spyro, however, saw the attack coming, bringing his weaponized paws outward and slamming them into both sides of the drake's head. The rock surrounding his paws shattered into pebble-sized pieces, allowing him to uppercut the dragon as a finalizing touch to this knockout attack. The dragon flew across the room, passing by his fallen comrade. He landed with a thud at the end of the hallway, forcing a door open at the end of his ungraceful landing. The spent dragon clung to the door arch; sharp breaths that almost escalated to sobs ravaged his throat. He extended a feeble shadow empowered claw at Spyro as a last-ditch attempt. Spyro grabbed it effortlessly and squeezed the wrist, cutting off the blood flow, his head was slammed against the arch.

 _BANG!_

The last thing he witnessed before lights went out for him was the sturdy door moving at lightning speeds. Had he been anything less than a hard-boned dragon, his head would have been cut clean off his shoulders. Instead, he slumped with a severe concussion and bludgeoned skull on the floor, the door creaked from abuse hinges torn off from the force of impact.

"Had to make it more difficult, didn't you?" Spyro exclaimed to the incapacitated opponent. He shifted his focus from the harmless dragon to the stirring dragoness, the broken glass added to her torment, small shards littering her open wounds, each wiggle of her body a new wave of agony. Whoever these guys were, Spyro had to admit they held up pretty good against him, taking hard blows would be deemed too violent for trainee guards of Warfang. Respecting the enemy for their capabilities was a virtue he honored, rarely did he underestimate a challenger, keen observation prevented such mistake. He padded over to her, staring down at her body with distasteful eyes.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Spyro gripped her neck tightly, squeezing firmly as she struggled in his grasp. Sure, killing her would have been more comfortable, but it was not in his way to kill one of his own kin, especially one as young as her. He leaned down and gave her a powerful nerve bite, the dragoness's entire body tightened, putting her into a paralytic state. It would not kill her. Instead, it would stiffen her whole body for a couple of hours; she wasn't going anywhere.

Cyrus just stood in horror, as he watched Spyro release his female companion's neck from his jaws, slightly relieved to still see the faint rise and fall of her chest. She wasn't dead, but she was out of this fight for good. The same went for the shadow drake, whose body laid against a bloody door arch, the weak and wheezy sound of his breath filled the air. But that was the least of his worries, as he froze when Spyro turned on him, the dragon's lilac eyes were filled to the brim with frustration, the faint hint of confusion was ever so present though.

"Now…" Spyro growled through gritted teeth. "You're going to tell me exactly what you're doing in my home and why you senselessly attacked me! You do that, and you don't end up like you're two friends here." He dipped his head to the two unconscious dragons. "Do we have a deal?"

Cyrus backed up against the wall, his entire face was sweating profusely, and his body was getting smacked with nasty jitters. He was scared! Knowing that there was an escape down a hallway to his right, the ice dragon did what any other sane individual would do: Cyrus turned and bolted. As he turned, Cyrus sprayed a sheet of thin ice over the floor, protecting his rear if he could, knowing Spyro was bound to pursue him.

"I guess not," Spyro groaned with annoyance.

But it didn't stop him from giving chase.

His legs lurched forward, finding perfect traction on the wooden floor, feeling his aching muscles being put to work as he approached the end of the hallway. The ice that covered the story was a weak attempt at an obstacle, something that wouldn't halt Spyro for even a second. But to avoid it at all cost, Spyro jumped against the wall and dove into the adjacent hallway, landing perfectly on all fours, completely missing the ice. His keen sense of smell, basically his second pair of eyes, practically inhaled the fear scent that dripped off Cyrus's hide.

He was running scared, and Spyro was hot on his trail, the speed and length of his stride increasing until he was at a dead sprint. He zoomed through the halls, something Cynder would never allow, his mind focused on the roaring feeling of the hunt, predatory instincts kicking in as a lone hunter sought after his meek prey. Of course, Spyro didn't need to rely on his senses to know that Cyrus was heading for a dead end. Sure enough, as he rounded a slight bend, there was Cyrus, standing in an open foyer in the eastern wing of the house, the complete opposite direction of the main gathering area in the central tower.

 _At least he was smart enough to go away from Tanzim and my daughter!_

The ice dragon was panicking, knowing that he had run his way into a dead end, the worst possible place when an angry opponent was hastily closing the gap between them. Cyrus gulped fearfully, hearing the low growl of Spyro behind him. The time had come to meet his fate. Turning around slowly, he dropped his defensive posture, his mind telling him that he might just make it out of this if he didn't look hostile. But the gaze he came across proved that even submitting willingly wouldn't keep him safe.

Spyro was furious, his fangs bared, mentally stalling himself from lunging forward a tearing the traitor's throat clean from his body. Being as strong as he was, it would be like biting water, but he knew that if he killed Cyrus, there'd be ten more problems to deal with than allowing him to live. But despite his body's desperation to strike down this oppressor, there was a burning question branding itself into the purple drake's thoughts.

 _Why?_

The purple drake approached slowly and methodically, taking each step with calculated caution. He knew from experience never to close the distance between a cornered opponent, their fight-or-flight reflexes could easily kick in, making them a truly terrifying monster to fight.

"You made a mistake running away from me, Cyrus!" Spyro hissed, stopping a few meters away from the cowering drake. "We took you in, we exploited our social status for your sake, for your child, and this is how you respond to our kindness! So, I am going to give you one last chance to answer my question, do so, and I might just let you walk out of this unscathed. But mark my words, you try and cross me, I will not hesitate to put you down permanently."

Cyrus panted heavily, his breath coming out in shuddering waves, Spyro's threat was echoing in his head, bouncing off his skull like a rock thrown against a wall.

"My suspicions were correct, we are both mere pawns of higher powers, floating in a limbo between our ideals and our desires. Some dragons just want to see the world burn, you personally saw to that, yet you live in an illusion. Do you think we are all given the privilege of choice in what we do?"

"So, you claim to be innocent? If you truly had no choice you should have come to me for a chance, we could've avoided this."

Cyrus's gaze rose to meet his, the once fearful drake carried a new, hardened look of determination, his attitude on the complete other end of the spectrum. "You still think you can save everyone? You're a fairytale, and this is what the real world holds for us. You can't save anyone from an idea expanding like cancer under your nose, while all you did these past years was hide in a false haven, drenching the sheets with your mate's sweat and fooling around like an imbecile."

"I've learned over the years that I can't save everyone," Spyro fumed as he began to circle the outer edge of the room. "Yet, it never stopped me from trying. When lives were at stake, I stepped forth from the shadows and helped rid this world of evil. But I also learned that evil takes on many forms and that our lives and homes can never truly be safe from its cruelty. And here you are, proving my point by attacking me in my own home. And for what?"

"You see, I've got a dream that's worth more than my sleep. But that dream demands a special kind of commitment," Cyrus growled, circling the room, staying consistently opposite of Spyro "Because the world is changing in ways that you couldn't believe. Changes that must occur require certain… sacrifices. And I've learned that if you want something that you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done."

"And you think killing me will accomplish that? Listen to yourself, you've gone mad with delusion. These radical thoughts you carry in your twisted mind are going to find a way to destroy you in the end. So, if you think that ending my life is going to find your salvation…" Spyro halted, turning and squaring his shoulders to Cyrus, his posture inviting a challenge. "...Then I can't wait to see you try."

Cyrus stopped in his tracks, tilting his head in utter surprise. A dark, maniacal grin followed closely by a deep, sadistic laugh erupted from his throat. He threw his head back, letting the humor of the moment enjoy itself.

"You don't get it, do you?" Cyrus shook his head, laughing in disbelief. "Besides, if you do manage to succeed, do you really think that this attack will end with us. Other greater forces have already decided the outcome of this struggle; the cogs are set in motion. Least you can do is flow with the current. But, go ahead and try to strike me down, see where it gets you. I promise you that the result will be less than satisfactory."

Spyro was confused. He'd come across many different types of hostile individuals, but Cyrus was proving to be a unique one himself. He didn't know why, but the purple dragon was intrigued to see what was really going on inside Cyrus's head. However, Cyrus was vague with his ominous tone, clearly not foolish enough to reveal his true intentions. It slightly irritated him enough that he wasn't going to roll over and submit.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try and force an answer.

Charging forward with rapid movements, Spyro rammed straight into Cyrus, slamming the ice drake against the wall. His paws reached around the dragon's neck just below the base of the skull, squeezing firmly enough to slightly cave Cyrus's windpipe. His lilac orbs of burning rage settled on Cyrus's gaze, his teeth bared menacingly, silently threatening to tear into his face.

"Careful now, Spyro," Cyrus grunted, his voice came up in hoarse breaths. "We both know you don't have it in your heart to murder your own kin."

"How do you know that I am not willing to make an exception?" Spyro countered, slowly piercing his claws into the ice drake's neck scales. "Besides, your death would have more meaning to it because of the actions you and your companions afflicted on this home and this family."

Cyrus winced at the action, feeling a sharp, shooting pain bite at his neck. "Like I said before, this will not end with just us. If I die, more will just keep coming until you are eventually cut down from your high castle. You and your family will never be safe. Speaking of which," Cyrus said, leaning closer to the purple dragon.

"How's your mate and daughter doing, Spyro?"

Spyro froze at the sudden thought of the potential danger his family was in now, but shook it away almost immediately, knowing that he had dealt with all the threats in his home. Though the prickling sensation that he still wasn't finished dealing with the intruders tingled at the back of his skull. His terrors were proven to be true when he captured the casual, maniacal grin plastered on Cyrus's muzzle.

 _My family is in even more danger!_

Cyrus chuckled sinisterly.

"You let anger and revenge cloud your judgment! You committed the worst act any parent could ever perform. Now because of your foolishness, your daughter is at the mercy of my other companions! So, no matter what you do to me, by the time you arrive to try and save her, Avala will already be dead."

Spyro suddenly felt immensely sick in his stomach as he released his vice-like grip on Cyrus's neck. He backed up a few meters from the sneering ice drake, feeling an overwhelming level of emotion hack at his brain. The unimaginable thought of those monsters laying a single claw on his baby girl made him want to hurl. It was a brutal slash at his heart, knowing that losing her could be so easy. If anything happened to her, Spyro would blame himself forever and until the end of time.

However, he would not allow such an atrocity to occur.

What Cyrus didn't realize was that threatening the pride and joy of the legendary purple dragon was the worst possible mistake that he could ever make.

The purple drake let his brewing rage consume him. A father's love outweighed the fact that he was going to be making a huge risk. If what he was about to do didn't work in his favor, he'd lose his precious child.

It was so much easier back when Spyro had no restrictions, no limitations that hindered his actions. It was a privilege that he had lost, upon gaining the parental role, for the better perhaps. Now he knew when he was cornered and realized the stakes were far more critical than preserving his own life. He found it hard to comply with the enemy's demand, this was a new horror to him.

"What's going through that head of yours, Spyro?" Cyrus whispered darkly, glowering at the purple drake. "Ahh… I see you're trying to devise a plan to try and save your daughter. It's a shame that you will not succeed. Can you just imagine? Full grown dragon claws tearing into the soft flesh, the air filling with her screams, and the last thought that goes through Avala's head will be about you, wondering where you ran off to before death finally-"

 _Big mistake!_

Before he could finish ranting, Spyro drove a clenched fist directly into the bridge of Cyrus's nose. He felt the fragile bone break under the sudden, powerful strike. The force of the impact weakened Cyrus's legs as he collapsed to the floor, his mouth spluttering off pain-filled noises. Spyro stood over him with a towering look of fury. He wasn't going to kill Cyrus, but he also wasn't going to allow him to escape either. The ice drake's face was covered in blood and bruises formed over his scales. Instead, he drove a few more series of gut-wrenching punches into Cyrus's face before grabbing him by the horns.

"Consider me not killing you right now as a… professional courtesy, but…," Spyro leaned down, nearly brushing snouts with the bloodied drake. "... You've just unleashed a force so bad that you're going to wish that I killed you."

The last thing he did was pull Cyrus's head off the ground to chest height and slam it back into the ground, instantly knocking the ice drake out cold. To think only a month ago, this drake was brought into the city with a beautiful mate and a baby on the way, now he was an unconscious and bloody pile of scales on Spyro's floor. It was a shame that this was how things turned out, but what could he have done to prevent it.

"It never had to be this way," Spyro silently sympathized. "We could have avoided all of this violence, but how could I have known that you'd do this to my family and me? I pray that your actions don't find a way to bring a backlash against your loved ones."

Sighing heavily, Spyro firmly regained a hold of himself, not allowing his seething rage to control the situation. There were more pressing matters that needed attending, and he wasn't going to allow them to bring ruin to his household.

With newly acquired energy tapping into his muscles, Spyro launched himself in the direction of the central tower. If Cyrus's words were to be accurate, he'd be walking into a dangerous situation. A situation that he would have to assess and act on with extreme caution. His daughter was now being put into the line of fire, one wrong move or slip up, and he'd lose her forever; an outcome he was not prepared to accept.

It was only a few moments later that Spyro found himself standing upon the third story landing platform staring down at the ground floor. It looked like a battle of two fighting armies had torn right through it, the damage seeming nearly irreparable, and remnants of elemental debris littered the granite and marble. His heart faltered at the sight that lay before him, seeing four dark scaled dragons surrounding Tanzim: three male and one female based off size and builds, all vicious and dangerous.

The young, fire drake, was covered from snout to tail tip in dozens of cuts and lacerations. His red-clad scales did little to hide the crimson blood streaming from cracks on his hide. He looked tired, and in severe pain, the dragon's entire body shook vigorously as his legs struggled to hold his beaten body vertical. A small pool of blood collected at his feet, slowly building in size, staining the once pristine floor. His whole body most likely barely clinging onto life, which was a feat itself. An inexperienced drake holding his own against fully grown dragons.

However, despite Spyro's sympathy for the injured guard, he desperately scanned the room for Avala, hoping he wouldn't see her in a similar or worse state than Tanzim. Luckily, he didn't see any sign of her, meaning Tanzim had to have hidden the yearling somewhere safe and secure. That said he could give Tanzim the help he desperately needed before the worst could come around and bite them. Though he would need a plan if he wanted to save the poor lad's life.

And Spyro knew precisely what would do the trick. One of the many abilities in his unique repertoire, slumbering within his magical blood and untapped into for many years. A power left dormant since the ending of the war with Malefor and his dark armies. He prayed silently to himself, hoping that it would work, wishing that the rust of disuse would fade away as he reached deep within his power core, searching for traces of the resting force.

 _Dragon Time don't fail me now!_

After taking a series of deep, settling breaths, Spyro closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the power of time, allowing his mind and body to submit to its river of energy that flowed through his veins. He wasn't disappointed by the outcome; he was sure of it. Even if he never bragged openly, there was no denying he was a natural when it came to magic wielding. He fastened his reflexes and scanned the room, taking in every little detail of his enemies now that he had the most precious of all gifts. More time not to think, but to act without consequence. It truly frightened him.

The entire room was shrouded in a deep blue hue, everything that it consumed held in place by the powerful forces of time and space. And while things were technically held in place, they weren't entirely frozen either. Everyone that was influenced by Spyro's ability wouldn't have a single idea that time had been suspended. The manipulation of time was the one element he trusted blindly, yet it left a sharp sensation stinging his soul. It was almost anomalous, having the right to herald others' fates and deciding who lives and who dies, as a judge of dread. This was the same reason he strayed away from the warrior's path.

However, Spyro's head was constantly being bombarded with consistent pressure, the drake's body began to eat away at his energy reserves at a rapid rate. If he maintained this state of being for too long, the strain on his brain would make him pass out, and any attempt to rekindle the power without proper energy rebuilding could kill him with zero remorse; the power of time was not a force to be trifled with.

The purple drake regained control of the energy that was being expended into his time magic capabilities. The limbo state he was falling in faltered, the brief time stutter faded, and everything was set in motion once again. The amount of power that was used overwhelmed Spyro as his legs buckled from underneath him; luckily, he was quiet enough to not disturb his opponents. It took a moment of quick breaths to reassume the strength in his legs, standing at his true stature a few heartbeats later.

This gap in the action provided him with enough breathing room to cook up a strategy that seemed valid. The dark grey scaled drake on the far-left side of Tanzim had a series of wounds of his own; a detail Spyro failed to notice during the moment of freezing time. That would be his way in, striking down the weakest link first before the other three could rally and attack him. Setting himself into a combat mindset, the purple drake spread his wings and readied himself to jump from the platform.

They broke into his home.

They attacked him without provocation.

And they threatened his family and the life of an innocent bystander.

And now they were about to face an enemy they wouldn't stand a chance against because he was bringing the fight to them.

Spyro leaped off the platform, letting his massive wings gently glide him towards the unsuspecting target. He threw his wings back, his descent turning into a controlled fall as his larger mass picked up additional speed. And with claws extended, the purple drake let out a heart-stopping roar as his frame crashed into the injured opponent, instantly taking him to the ground. The force of the impact immediately rendered the drake unconscious, the rest flinched at the unexpected attack. Being ambushed by their supposed target was apparently not part of the plan.

The purple drake backed off the unconscious dragon's body, keeping a firm paw against the culprit's neck. He felt the faint pulse beating against the pad of his paw, silently grateful that he hadn't killed him. But the drake's well-being was not his priority, getting Tanzim out of harm's way while dealing with the other three intruders was.

Spyro decided to repel the attackers first, knowing he had to get Tanzim in a safe spot and out of the crossfire. He flared his wings and released a head-splitting roar, charging right for the unlucky visitor. His wings were covered in an ice sheet, a blizzard began to form inside the room, obscuring their vision and disorienting all attendants, including Tanzim who was faintly grasping onto consciousness.

By the time the startled dragons regained their headings, Spyro and Tanzim were gone, completely vanished. One of the intruder's stumbled on the body of their fallen ally, immediately shoving at his still hide, urging him to wake up. But to no avail, he remained unconscious.

In the few moments that Spyro had to spare, he had carried Tanzim into a nearby hallway, away from the prying eyes of the invaders. Being as gentle as he could be, the purple drake gingerly placed the young guard onto his side, and finally got an up-close encounter with how severe his wounds were. His heart stopped at the repulsive sight, seeing lots of deep cuts, slashes, and bite marks all over his ageless scales. One of the wounds on his belly was bleeding profusely, drenching his abdomen in brick red blood.

"Are you doing alright, kid?" Spyro fretted. "You look like you've seen some better days."

A smirk pulled at Tanzim's muzzle, a line of blood dripping off his lower lip. "I think it's safe to say that… I've had even worse days." The red drake winced painfully with each passing breath. "But I'm… I'm kind of hurting right now."

"I know it hurts, Tanzim, and I'm going to try and help you," Spyro reassured, grabbing the drake's paw and squeezing it firmly before applying pressure to the nasty, open belly wound. "But I need to know something! Where is Avala?"

Tanzim swallowed the massive lump that jabbed at his throat and ran his paws over his face, his entire posture loosening up out of exhaustion as the seconds ticked by. "Avala's safe! I hid her in a closet in one of the adjacent hallways the moment I heard the crashing sound upstairs. Had I waited any longer, they would've had her as well as me. I had to do something, Spyro!"

"You did good, Tanzim! I would've done the same thing; however," Spyro protested as he started to assess the severity of the wound, noticing how deep it ran across the drake's entire midsection. Blood continued to spill between his toes despite his best efforts to keep constant pressure on the slash. "I'm going to try and freeze the wound over."

Tanzim's tired eyes shot open with uncertainty, but he didn't try to argue as the fatigue of his life-threatening wounds sucked him back into a pained state.

Spyro let out a hurt sigh, knowing that he'd probably only get a single shot at saving the youthful drake's life. So, while maintaining the most robust amount of inner strength he could muster, he planted a firm paw on the drake's chest, his stern eyes begging him not to squirm. And with quick movements, Spyro pulled his other paw away from the wound, immediately exposing it to his powerful ice breath, instantly coating the depth of the injury in a strong sheet of ice.

It didn't come as a surprise to watch Tanzim lurch underneath him, his muzzle caught in a silent scream of pain that forced him to bite down on his lip, so as not to expose them with his suffering. But as quickly as the procedure began, it ended swiftly, allowing Spyro to momentarily comfort the drake.

"That should hold, but you need to stay perfectly still or else the ice will shatter," Spyro warned. "I promise that I'll come back for you once this is all over. Stay strong for me, Tanzim."

As Spyro turned away, he thought he heard thanks fall from the red dragon's lips but didn't have the time to respond as he darted into another nearby hallway. He had to attack from a different location so that the attackers wouldn't backtrack his steps. If they somehow found Tanzim, there would be nothing between the injured dragon and the enemy, leaving him at their will; likely a slow and painful death.

It took him only a few moments to circumnavigate the pure halls of his home, taking the quickest and most efficient route that would, in theory, place him directly behind the three home invaders. However, Spyro remained cautious, knowing that he could never underestimate the power or ability of an adversary he was unfamiliar with. Yet, it never stopped him from taking a moment to admire his opponent, a constant reminder that he could never indeed cling onto the false and naive hope of a perfect life when they exist in an imperfect world, shifting the balance of light and darkness.

Spyro rounded a corner to find that the three intruders had become four once again, the fourth standing on shaky legs, gripping his head in his paws. The purple dragon smirked in glee, surprised that the drake was standing after being used as a doormat. But the moment of peace turned sour as the discombobulated enemy caught Spyro in his gaze. The element of surprise had been completely ripped out from under him.

They were all dragons of unique elements, which made the situation worse because Spyro had little experience against their destructive power. The drakaina and the injured male were both fused with the aspect of shadow, the only power Spyro had a real understanding of. But the other two males were fear and poison respectfully; he could tell by distinct features only found with particular elements.

 _But why do they all have the same colored scales?_

But that's when Spyro noticed the way their scales reflected with the light like they were covered in a thin layer of black fog. It looked like their scales were moving as a tight, coordinated group, shrouding their actual color and concealing their identities. Though he watched in envy as the camouflage faded away, revealing the different shades of green, red and grey.

The ferocity of the morning's previous encounter built up in Spyro's chest as his legs casually pushed him forward, exposing his whole body to the central tower. A snarl pulled at his muzzle when all four of the companions squared up to him, prepped for a battle of tooth and claw. It was going to prove a challenge fighting four enemies simultaneously and to do that without killing anyone seemed like an unachievable task.

 _Tanzim and Avala are relying on me to win this fight. If I don't, then two young lives will be forever extinguished._

Spyro halted in the middle of the room, giving him equal amounts of space on all sides, which granted him individual freedoms of motion a tight corridor couldn't. He watched the four attackers split into pairs, encroaching on his left and right flanks. The pincer movement was an ideal tactic, which, in turn, showed the legitimacy and training of the purple drake's foes. They weren't like the average home invader.

Regardless of which way he turned, he'd be attacked from his exposed backside, leaving him utterly vulnerable to deadly, painful attacks. But the purple drake forced himself to choose, knowing he was better off fighting half of the enemy rather than none. Yet, the purple drake knew that having a choice in a brawl was a rare phenomenon. He could deal with a little bit of pain of it meant he'd live to see another day.

The male and female on his left lunged in an instant, their lightning fast speed striking him in the side before he could turn and face them. Spyro hissed in pain as their sharp claws pierced his scales, drawing blood and forcefully putting the purple dragon on his side. He watched through pain slitted eyes as they began to slash at his softer belly scales, able to cut into him with ease, but he wasn't going to allow them to take him that quickly and efficiently.

As the dragoness moved to puncture her fangs into his neck, Spyro sank his teeth into her lithe foreleg. He tasted the iron blood on his tongue as he bit down with more substantial force, enough to make the bone between his teeth creak. The loud sound of her screams forced her companion to jump back, giving Spyro only a few seconds to get to his feet. He dropped her appendage from his maw, driving his horns into her exposed chest, plunging the female to the floor. His momentum pulled his substantial, toned body up onto all fours, swatting his tail blade across the muzzle of the male.

A loud hiss forced Spyro to spin around to face the new attacker, a fast approaching poison dragon, whose green scales shined with burning energy. The purple's quick motions were awkward, his body cantered, and his legs were crisscrossed. Spyro barely made out the slitted eyes of the poison dragon as a nasty glob of yellow acid soared towards his face. He ducked in the nick of time, the sizzling ball of the corrosive substance splat against the floor, eating away at the smooth floors.

Spyro stood to his full height and charged the source of the pathetic attack, leaping into the air and landing on the smaller drake's back. The size and weight of the legendary drake crumbled the legs of the poison dragon, the wind being knocked forcefully from his lungs. He turned and gripped the dragon by the horns, pulling him off the ground to where his toes barely brushed the floor.

As the other three thugs positioned themselves in front of Spyro, their actions couldn't have brought a bigger grimace to the purple face. The darker part of him was knocking on the door, demanding that he drop the kind guy act and fight to survive.

They stalked forward in unison, but as they did, Spyro jerked his grip on the poison drake, causing him to writhe in discomforting spasms. "Don't come any closer…," he snarled, slowly twisting the drake's head. "I've already dealt with three of your other cronies, and I'm not afraid to make it seven! So back up, now!"

The trio shared glances, slightly smirking before encroaching further, slowly shrinking the area around Spyro at a snail's pace, enveloping any possible chance of escape for the hero. A look of a stiff challenge was betrayed by their scowling eyes, the multitude of steps laced with aching muscles, primed to pounce and shred dragon hide.

"They just had to force my paw," Spyro muttered, grinding his teeth in irritation. "It's about time the playing field was brought down a few notches."

And with a sudden twist of his paws, the purple drake forced the poison dragon onto his face, striking him across the head with a well-aimed paw, rendering him unconscious. But the moment he turned his attention away from the approaching enemy, he knew something was already amiss. Snapping his muzzle up, the drake's mouth dropped in bewilderment, finding only a sneering fear dragon staring him dead in the face.

The two shadow dragons had disappeared, leaving no trace of their intended whereabouts, but Spyro knew all too well exactly where they were evasively observing him. The dull shadows nearby faintly glowed of their dark essence, a mark of them being disturbed by an entity of barbarous desires. Insecurity washed over him, keeping his entire scaley hide on edge, forcing him to accept that he was no longer in control of the situation.

Spyro used his peripherals with caution, maintaining an unfocused eye on the fear drake, who stayed motionless as he scanned the room for two other dragons. But in his haste, his purple irises panned across the face of the evil spirited drake, whose body glowed with wisps of dark red energy. The sadistic grin that made up his face sent chills up the purple dragon's spine. His dark colored eyes seemed to stab daggers into Spyro's soul, freezing him into a state of fear.

A considerable weight suddenly crashed into Spyro's spine, buckling his legs and driving him slowly to the floor. It took a confident individual with a unique skill set to sneak up on the purple hero, though the barrage of fear energy bombarding his brain likely dulled his senses. He felt the fear dragon release his elemental grasp on his ravaged body, the ringing in his ears subsided, and his sight returned to normal.

The purple drake felt razor sharp claws dig into his back, tearing at the sensitive nerves and ripping up lilac scales. The flaring pain was proving to be unbearable, making him nauseate and sway, his body struggling to keep from passing out. But it didn't stop his assailants from treating themselves to a few well-placed punches to Spyro's face, throat, and side. He struggled to fight back, finding himself blanketed in heavy chains made of pure shadow energy.

But trying to resist the inescapable was proving to be futile, finally coming to his senses and succumbing to the weight of their trap. Spyro felt embarrassed! Taken down by force, he knew that he could have defeated, yet was brought to his knees with a lack of difficulty.

 _Who are these dragons?_

A sharp whistle halted their physical and mental torment, though the chains remained tightly coiled around his body depriving him of any wiggle room to try and free himself. Spyro knew they were confident in their elemental ability as the male and female shadow dragons placed themselves within his field of vision, sitting just inside his peripherals. He felt more vulnerable than before, having three pairs of vicious eyes staring at him with malicious intent. His entire body ached with soreness and stung from the many slices and punctures; the chains digging into his hide didn't help in the slightest. He bowed his head in shame.

But that was when he heard that cynical laugh again!

Casting his eyes around the room, ignoring the pain that rippled throughout his body, Spyro sought out the source of the laugh. It had echoed creepily, yet it was distinct and easily recognizable. He wasn't sure if it was actually that individual, though he prayed it wasn't. Spyro had already dealt with him, making sure that he wouldn't be waking up for a few hours. Yet, he didn't quite fully understand the capabilities of this group of individuals, so whatever surprise was in store, Spyro was in for it.

And that's when he saw him observing with a broken nose and smug look in his eye. Cyrus was sitting amongst a pile of cushions with his legs crossed in front of him. Though he was bloodied and bruised, the ice drake was undoubtedly enjoying the torture of the purple dragon, his claws itching to tear into the fabled hero's throat, brutally ending a bloodline that would cause trouble for his rightful future.

"Well, don't look too surprised, Spyro!" Cyrus finally exclaimed. "I'll admit that you have a mean swing, but not strong enough to keep me down long. I guess living the pampered life has made you weak!"

"Take these chains off me and find out for yourself how weak I am!" Spyro challenged threateningly. "Because I assure you that you'll meet the ground faster than they will drop."

"Still bent on killing me, eh? Well, I'm afraid you're not going to get the chance," Cyrus informed, turning to the shadow dragoness and nodding once. "Because you'll be disposed of and be disposed of, I mean very, very dead."

Spyro watched with anticipation as the lithe-bodied dragoness slinked over seductively, a light sway in the hips and a maleficent glare in her taunting, confident eyes. She tiptoed around him, raking a single claw across his body and slicing through his scales. He tensed with a contained hiss at her precise, yet delicate, touch as it seemed to phase through the shadowy chains, leaving a long, thin laceration that wrapped around his body from shoulder to shoulder. Large and gruesome wounds were one thing, but the small and compact cuts were the ones that stung like a thousand knives. Even in this time of despair and unyielding pain, he wouldn't provide them with the pleasure of wailing like a whelp, opting to bite on his lip, puncturing the soft scale.

He felt the fear of imminent death as bile rose to the back of his throat, the dragoness lifted his chin with a single claw, sharply breaking the soft skin and forcing a feared gulp. The realization that in a few short moments, he was going to meet the Ancestors hit him hard in the heart, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, Spyro felt alone and scared.

At that moment, the dragoness raised her paw, waiting for the order to strike. Her muzzle brought back in a pleasured smirk. She took pride in being the chosen to apply the killing blow on Spyro, to achieve such a task that many before her had miserably failed to accomplish. As her paw came to its highest point, Spyro opened his mouth to speak as a last-ditch effort but was cut off by the sudden sound of a squirming, scared, and crying child.

At that moment, he cast one last glance at Cyrus, his eyes flying wide in shock at the sight that laid before him. It made his heart skip a beat, knowing the whole situation had taken a drastic turn for the worse. Cyrus was now standing on all fours, staring with a madman's aggression at Spyro. He carried a haunting, nightmarish smile on his muzzle, despite the pain of his broken nose.

But beneath the ice drake's left foreleg, pressed to the ground with a firm force, was Spyro's daughter, Avala.

Spyro's world crumbled in an instant, his googly eyes ignored the looming threat hanging above his head and drilled into that helpless squirming thing that was his baby girl. After the brief loss of words, his muzzle shifted to a snarl. With renewed effort and agonizing struggle against the straining chains, he thrashed like an animal in captivity. A vein popped in his forehead, signifying that he was approaching a dangerous limit. His outburst only left the other dragons amused, now that they were no longer in his sights.

Though he looked at his daughter and saw the sheer terror in her little green eyes. It broke him internally to see her so full of confusion and fear that his inability to hold her close was terrifying him. And her meek cries filled his ears, begging for her daddy to come to save her. But Spyro had to stay strong for Avala. There was no room for desperation. His protective instinct screamed at him to save his daughter before his inevitable end. He'd never rest in peace without knowing she made it out safe and sound.

"Cyrus, I don't know what you're trying to prove, but threatening the life of my daughter is not the way to go," Spyro spoke calmly, never taking his eyes off Avala. "You're about to be a father to a child of your own. If you hurt my little girl, you'll never have a night of blissful sleep again. Please… I beg of you."

Avala let out a scream as long, sharp claws wrapped firmly around her small head, her pleading eyes moist with tears. She strained to look at her father, who shifted in his chains. Cyrus sneered at the purple drake, tapping each individual digit against the child's soft scales.

"This must be new to you, being so powerless. In the end, you are just another mortal who flew too close to the sun. You've tried time and time again to try and save everyone you've met, but now… here you are wrapped in chains with your daughter beneath my foot." He glanced momentarily at the shadow drake. "Make him suffer before we get to the finale, but I need him alive and conscious."

Spyro swallowed the massive lump in his throat, knowing precisely what the despicable drake was openly hinting at. He took a deep breath through the nose and exhaling through the mouth as the shadow drake stalked up to him. He carried himself higher and mightier compared to his female counterpart. There was that heavy stench in the air, recognizable as his own blood. He screwed his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry, snowflake, I'm so- GAH!" He was snatched by the scruff like some worthless hound meant for punishment. His head was pulled back and forced to look at the ceiling, breaking eye contact with Avala. They wouldn't even give him that privilege.

The shadow dragon exchanged glances with his female partner, both aware of their evil tendencies. He flicked his paw in the air, claws empowered with suffocating dark smoke pinning Spyro by the throat. He gulped and cited with hot tears streaming down his eyes.

"Avala listen to me and fight, get away…". He wished for nothing more than her safety before the paw stomped his muzzle, the suffocating tasteless and odorless shadow shut off his airways. His lungs quickly wrinkled, and his blood pressure rose, heart working on little leftovers of oxygen, it beat furiously at his chest.

He screamed muffledly at the paw, muscles spasming the closer he got to fainting. Jerking his head left, and right was no longer an option with all these holds on him. Avala could almost sense his distress and yelped, throwing a tantrum at Cyrus.

"Hush, little one… The grownups are talking." Cyrus made a claw gesture as if zipping his lips shut.

For Spyro, the heartbreaking cries were the tip of the iceberg. He hated himself for everything. Not only he was forbidden from seeing and cooing his distressed child, but he was also now subjected to savage torture in front of her. He hated to be the reason for her traumatized psych, and he despised the realization that this was how she'd remember him in his last moments. A broken, crying, bent mess, no more than a hatchling he was.

The shadow dragon removed his paw and Spyro sucked as much air as his aching lungs could receive. He didn't catch a second breath, before being punched square in the chest, he gasped and spat blood. The air he took in was knocked out again.

The fear dragon stepped in and cracked his knuckles with a chuckle, shoving his shadow counterpart aside.

"What? Don't we all get a taste of the broken one's flesh?" He smugly intoned.

Spyro hyperventilated, already spitting blobs of thick blood from his maw. The fear dragon sat face to face with him and clutched his head in two sharp claws, spooning him like an affectionate parent.

"I have never been more attracted to another dragon's fear before, and fear is strong within you. It feeds me."

Spyro tried to focus his raving orbs anywhere, but that hypnotic gaze, even getting glimpses of his sobbing child past the crimson horror. Yet, even more, he was drawn into these eyes, it almost reminded him of his romantic encounters with Cynder. If this was the power of fear, he wanted none of it.

He barely heard any siren screams or saw magic flying around, and yet he was sure, something was amiss. There he was, still wrapped in chains, the rest of the assassins were circling him and his daughter…

His daughter was as good as dead in the blink of an eye.

"How could I let this happen! No, no… not my baby girl, Avala, no!"

He was raging inside, but most of all, his fear had come true. What would Cynder say? If she found out was another terror, he wasn't ready to face. His body felt lighter, now free to roam, the failed father charged at his daughter, every time he ran it was like the distance between them was doubled. No matter how hard he pushed himself, the drake could not close the gap between him and his little baby.

And that rotting stench would not go away.

It came from his formerly golden heart, bloodied and blackened with betrayal and failure. From within his once purple scales, turned dull and grey, came nasty worms, eating away at his decaying flesh, turning him into a skeletonized monster. He'd never have the guts to face his daughter like that in the afterlife or anyone for that matter.

 _And Cynder…_

Cynder had no one left for her, that was not the way it was supposed to go. They always stuck their heads in danger to protect each other back. Now she'd be forced to sleep in an empty cold bed without him filling the other side. Spyro couldn't even begin to fathom the thoughts that would be racing through her mind, being alone in a world she fought so hard to protect.

He fell over as the shadow chains released him, releasing a torrent of tears as he cried. A loud ringing noise drummed in his ears, either that or the rot would eat away at his sanity. The shadow dragon was jingling his claw against a costly vase in the corner, he yawned and stretched, intentionally knocking it over, shattering it on the floor.

"I thought you said this was going to be a challenge. Just look at that pathetic whelp!" The shadow pointed at Spyro tauntingly. "He didn't even stand a chance. We may as well take him with us at this point because if fear energy can take him down, imagine what moon energy will do!"

Cyrus huffed and shot him a silencing glare, then shifted to Spyro, who was oblivious to his surroundings and silently sobbing. The fear magic worked like a charm, leaving the purple drake in a paralytic state of distress. The little ice dragoness continued to squirm under his paw, whimpering loudly at the sight of her father. He stared down at her, admiring her constant struggle to free herself. She was the spitting image of her mother, the blood of a warrior filled her veins, and her piercing green eyes held back a fire.

"How much do you love your daughter, Spyro?"

Spyro let out a series of coughs, his mind slowly coming out of a feared state, leaving him in a confused daze, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He sighed a silent prayer of relief, happy to be back in familiar territory. The nightmare induced attack in his head didn't hinder his ability to hear Cyrus speak to him, though he wished it was about something less personal.

Turning his head to look the ice dragon in the eye, Spyro suppressed the growl that was growing in his throat as he slowly took to all fours. His legs felt weak and unstable, making him stumble momentarily before he recaptured his bearings. The strain on his body was making him hurt, his entire muscle structure felt tender from the assault, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. His strength would come back to him, but he felt utterly drained, having expended his reserves repelling his living nightmare.

Though he made no effort to respond to the ice dragon's question. The game Cyrus was playing was a dangerous one, and the audacity to still have his claws against Spyro's little one was foolish, yet dauntless.

"I'll say that I am rather impressed, Spyro," Cyrus said. "You've proven that you are, without a doubt, a formidable opponent. Yet, it took little effort to find your weakness. But now we're at a rather difficult crossroads. You're still alive, and I have your daughter..."

The ice drake gripped Avala in his paw and lifted her up to eye level, forcing a panicked squeal from her muzzle. Tears still dripped from her eyes, leaving her once beautiful face a saddened mess. Cyrus smirked devilishly at her, sickening thoughts pacing through his head. He began to speak without taking his paw off the hatchling.

"I've already expressed my opinion about your fate, but you keep making it difficult for my companions and me to make that become a reality," Cyrus explained, carefully examining the child, before turning to face Spyro. "So, I am going to make this very simple. Either you just surrender to the fate of all false heroes and die with dignity, or I will proceed with an act that won't let me sleep at night. At least I know I'm doing the right thing, are you?"

Spyro watched as his daughter was sat down on the ground, though he kept a firm paw on her, preventing Avala from rushing into the waiting paws of her father. The tremendous amount of heartache hit him like earth magic, longing to rush forward and comfort his little girl never felt so challenging to do. But, Avala was already in terrible danger, and one wrong action could bleed catastrophe.

He watched the fear dragon approach the ice drake; a stomach-churning sneer stretched across his muzzle as Cyrus simply pawed over the little dragoness to him. She trembled at his touch, backing away from him, trying to get away, but her short legs could only go so far before his claws snatched her up. Avala screamed fearfully, her cries echoing off the walls as red fear drake toyed with her.

Spyro's paws shifted forward, but his steps were limited as he stumbled to the floor, barely catching himself. The fear energy was still ravaging in his system, keeping his body from fully recovering, leaving him feeling exhausted and extremely weak. But picking himself off the floor helped him notice something else a few meters behind them, bringing a reassured smirk to his muzzle.

 _It's nice to know that I'm not alone in this world._

"Every morning since I've been a father," Spyro answered peacefully, pausing to take a heavy breath. "You want to know what I do? I allow my mate to sleep before I quietly slip out to go and care for our child. Seeing the excitement of my daughter every single morning is one of the best feelings in the world because I get to hold her close and have her all to myself. Those special moments bring light to my world."

Cyrus chuckled, pointing a sole claw at Spyro. "You do realize that whether you live, or die is no longer in your possession, right? A lame excuse at a heartwarming moment is not going to save you!"

"I know it's not," Spyro shrugged, flashing a smile at the ice drake. "But it doesn't mean I can't spill my heart out before I embrace death. Surely, you can allow me some final words, yes?" He didn't even wait for a response, noticing the friendly shadows were growing stronger and more sizeable. "You want to know what I love most about my mate. No matter what, regardless of the danger she puts herself in, Cynder is always there for me."

"Too bad she's not here now," Cyrus murmured. "Otherwise we'd be having a different conversation. And if everything had gone to plan, she'd be arriving to find three corpses. You think I would allow Avala and Tanzim to live after all this? It doesn't work like that, I'm afraid."

Spyro bit back the vicious desire to melt Cyrus's face with flames, choosing to smile darkly at him instead. "Now you got a problem! Because if any more harm comes to Avala or Tanzim, nothing will bring Cynder more pleasure than to hunt you down and strip the very flesh from your bodies. In fact, consider that a ticket… that's about to be punched!"

Erupting from the shadows in a show of fury and claws, Cynder roared her arrival causing a massive startle amongst the intruders; even Spyro slightly jumped at her ferocity, but it brought with it a huge sigh of relief knowing his mate was here to save the day. The black dragoness didn't hesitate to jump into the fray, lunging directly for the fear drake. She tackled him to the ground, driving her claws into his chest, forcing a pain filled screech to resonate through the hall. Yet the paw that grasped her daughter only tightened out of pain, squeezing the life force out of her, causing the baby to cry out. Cynder didn't pause for even a second before driving her deadly tail blade into the foreleg, daggering cleanly through, slicing the tendons and releasing the little dragoness onto the floor.

Though Avala slumped to the ground and lay unmoving, her baby eyes shut, sinking the hearts of both parents. But the faint rise and fall of her beating chest gave them some semblance of hope. Though it did nothing to halt the rage brewing in Cynder's chest.

Cynder let out a siren scream, driving her opponents to the ground, giving her ample time to play judge, jury, and executioner on the fear drake, whose eyes went wide at the impending doom. His ears had begun to bleed, and blood stained his once pearly whites. She yanked her tail blade from his leg, causing him to scream, but was cut off by a paw gripping his throat. Her paw began to squeeze, claws digging into his scales, drawing crimson red blood. The dragoness leaned down and snarled in his face.

Spyro watched from afar the scene that followed, being careful to watch the other dragons who were slowly regaining their feet, clutching their heads in agony. But the purple drake's focus was primarily on his dark scaled mate, his jaw-dropping as a portal of shadow opened up below the fear dragon.

The black dragoness still held the fear dragon by the throat, ignoring his panicked screams as she shoved his head and neck deep into the portal. She didn't hesitate to roar her frustrations at him before closing the shadow around his head. His frantic movements cut short as the closing of the portal severed his head clean from his neck. The action left a slumped body with a pool of blood rapidly forming on the floor.

Spyro watched her turn to him, his jaw dropping at the rage that filled her being. Everything that he had grown to love was under a brutal inner torment that his heart couldn't fix. She almost seemed unrecognizable, a shadow of her former self, a monster that sought-after countless victims. But before he could get a response from her, she lunged for the next victim, the female shadow dragoness.

 _I'm not going to be able to stop her! But I can help Avala!_

The purple dragon quickly approached his daughter laying a few feet away from the body of the fear drake. He didn't care for the ache in his feet and the strain in his muscles as he moved to his baby, stopping to stand over her. Avala's once pristine ice-blue scales around her abdomen turned purple with bruising and a series of scratches speckled her head. It broke his heart to see her this way.

He gently rubbed her with a paw, leaning down and talking to her. "Come on, snowball, wake up for me. Let daddy see your pretty eyes." Spyro gingerly lifted her up and held the child close to his chest. "Alright, baby girl, help me out here."

Spyro felt Avala slowly start to squirm against his chest, a soft whimper escaping her muzzle. She sounded like she was in a lot of pain, the bruises on her body were likely adding to the discomfort. He watched her emerald green eyes open, the whites turned red from the substantial streams of tears.

"Hey, sweet pea," Spyro smirked, softly nuzzling Avala, who cried out at his touch. "It's over now, I gotta deal with the baddies."

Quickly panning the room, Spyro moved quickly towards a nearby hallway opposite the sounds of fighting. He peeked behind his shoulder, making sure nobody followed, finding that Cynder was up against both of the shadow dragons with Cyrus cowering off to the side once more.

Returning his attention to Avala, Spyro walked deep into the hall, stopping at a closed door. He pulled it open, finding a small closet of cleaning supplies. Fortunately for the purple drake, there was a basket of blankets on one of the higher shelves. Being careful with his movements, he placed Avala in the basket and covered her with a blanket, giving her a reassuring nuzzle and kiss before softly closing the door. He silently prayed she wouldn't be discovered before returning to the fight.

The barely contained chaos that greeted him, as he returned from his parental duty was no less messy than earlier. Blood, debris, and carnage were the least of his worries right now, as the living ones were the at the center of his attention. Cyrus was rushing for the door, free to walk as his lackeys shielded his path. Cynder was in a furious fit, the intimidating feminine aura managed to grab his attention once more, yet there was no time for lollygagging. He had to assist her in combat with what might that was left in him.

One thing was for sure, the two of them were unmatched as a team, they couldn't do without each other, and they didn't need anyone else joining the company.

The scales seemed to have been tipped in their favor until a red blur sprouted out of nowhere charging the shadow dragon who covered Cyrus's back.

"Tanzim! Stay back!"

As the young chap leaped for a clean bite, his moment of glory was cut short, an icicle struck his flank and stabbed his flesh, sending him off balance. The shadow took advantage of the failed attack and swiped his claw with might, his mature and long blades made a fillet of Tanzim's stomach, scales split into many pieces and the flesh seared like a gutted lamb.

The red drake slid on the wooden floor, clutching his stomach and screaming as he saw his insides being turned out. He barely noticed the shadow drake stalking towards him, ready to execute the finishing blow.

The instant rage that had been pent up deep within Spyro unleashed in a torrent of anger. The fear energy that had a vague presence in his body did little to stop him as he sped forward towards the shadow dragon, who now stood viciously over Tanzim. He roared mightily as his hind legs launched him into the air, tackling the shadow to the ground before he had a chance to defend himself.

Spyro's muzzle was pulled back in a fiery rage of a snarl, baring his fangs and flaring his nostrils. Hot, steamy fumes escaped from his muzzle directly onto the shadow drake's face, who fought helplessly under the might and weight of the purple dragon. Spyro had him pinned and entirely at his mercy, knowing he could do whatever he wanted to the helpless drake, positive his allies were nowhere near to save him; though if the purple dragon was lucky, his associates would already be dead.

Though his morals were keeping him from finishing off the shadow drake. The purple drake couldn't bring himself to end his opponent's life, no matter how deeply he deserved and regardless of if he wanted to or not. Spyro held a moral high ground above everyone else that he would not kill another life of his own kin. But as that inner turmoil ached in his head, Spyro cast one glance at Tanzim.

The shadow had torn the young guard up severely. The once iced over wound had been torn open and ripped deeper into the poor dragon's underbelly. A large pool of blood had already accumulated around him, leaving Spyro torn entirely in half. He already knew the fate of the poor drake, closing his eyes in silent sorrow. But it didn't stop him from performing one last act against the shadow drake in his grasp.

 _Ancestors… forgive me!_

Gripping the shadow drake's head in his paws, Spyro twisted it hard with all the strength in his body and a sickening crack filled the air.

Spyro killed the shadow drake.

He didn't hesitate for a moment during the murder, and he tingled with abhorrence at himself. He just moved on as he used to after every kill. The innate bloodlust that coursed through his veins and the stale iron smell of blood was a staple of his war-life. He never believed they would return again; he had indeed grown soft.

After dropping the head with a hollow thud, Spyro hurried over to Tanzim, greeting him on his deathbed with a sorrowful expression. The mess of guts that should by no means be visible left him in a shocking state, mostly because he was the cause of this suffering. After all these years of leading a peaceful life, he was still the cause of collateral deaths. Even with all the good he brought to this world, the grim path of the purple dragon was set for him since hatching day, plowing through hordes of innocents and guilty alike. To him, all the lost souls outweighed even the deed of repairing of the world.

Tanzim was the latest addition to this pile, it brought back all the memories that haunted him post-war.

He clutched his paw and lifted his head so that they could see each other eye to eye. The least he could do was carry on his last words.

"I'm so sorry, Tanzim, why would you put yourself in harm's way?" He clenched his tear, filled eyes.

"We can't… We can't let them… E-escape…" The blood-soaked drake rasped in a cracked fainting voice.

"Forget about them! You are dying, and no healing gem will save you, but it's okay kid… No… You 're no kid, you're a fulfilled dragon. You accomplished more than others' your age could ever dream." He comforted the valiant guard through his last moments.

"It was a ho-honor… To receive praise by you… I'm not ready to go, Spyro." There was a plea in his eyes, genuine plea directed at the savior of dragons.

Spyro beat himself mentally. What kind of savior he was if he couldn't save one person? There had to be a way to avoid death, he deeply knew it.

"No one is… You could have never known this would happen, you came here to share your deepest thoughts, to share your joy, and this happens…"

"Thank you for bringing me close to… to Lyla. I just can't let her go like that… I can't go…" He rocked his head back and forth in distress, real horror invaded the once youthful stare, he now had trouble speaking due to all the blood pooling in his maw.

Spyro embraced him tightly and patted him. "I should be thanking you… Avala does too… It's my honor to have met you, hold onto that, and the thought that Lyla loves you." He reassured him soothingly.

He latched on his scales, claws pierced the purple hide, as of holding onto his idol meant hanging from that last strand of life. "Crystallize me… Remember…"

He slumped back, and Spyro pulled the heaving weight again, examining his eyes for signs of life, the dragon held still and whispered one thing repeatedly.

"Lyla… Lyla…" It was a slow hoarse chat, interrupted by gurgles and faint shallow breaths.

Spyro knew what had to be done, and so did Tanzim. The process had to be completed while he was still conscious and alive.

"We remember…" Spyro bid his friend the last farewell before he applied both paws on the bloodstained hide and concentrated his elemental energy. "May the Ancestors invite you into their ranks, and may you watch over us and guide us through our lives."

A dull hum resonated from the depths of Tanzim's wasted body, Spyro hesitated for a moment, the guilt of having another dragon's blood on his paws put him off the deed. He couldn't go back on that last promise though.

The red dragon erupted in a colorful mess of glows, rays of all hues appearing through cracks on his scales. His body stiffened and froze, talons curled, and the muscles were petrified. Tanzim reasoned that greeting the Ancestors with a horrified expression was bad karma, so he relaxed his facial features into the most peaceful smile Spyro had ever witnessed.

As his body was turned to a colorful reflecting crystal, all signs of damage swiftly vanished, the magical draconic blood embraced its essence and was crystallized too. It was a process that mesmerized Spyro, as he had never performed it on another person. It felt appreciative for Tanzim though, it was an honorable way to go, not like a sprawled gutless mess on the floor. He didn't deserve it of all people.

He died as he lived, with justice in mind and the love and safety of others in his heart.

"Don't forget…" His muffled voice was the very last thing Spyro heard coming from his now sealed lips, turned into a very lifelike, unnerving smile, as if the real Tanzim was trapped in the cast under the stone, ready to be freed.

Spyro dropped on his haunches, out of breath and defeated. He pondered if this was the fate of all close to him, he couldn't bear to live on with that thought. Tanzim requested to be remembered, he'd see to that, he'd make sure the whole world would never forget him. His request meant that a crystal from his body should be kept as a symbol of his permanent presence, like a guardian of sorts. He'd make sure Lyla was presented with a crystal as well.

Also, he would also make sure everyone would remember who killed him, he'd drag Cyrus through the streets so that the whole city would see him for what he really is. A spineless coward who put his own family on the line just to murder someone in cold blood. He'd never forgive that heartless snake, even if his own life depended on it.

Spyro slowly stood on all fours, his wings and shoulders slumped in misery, but his head was on a swivel. It didn't take him long to lay eyes on his next target, finding the ice drake standing off to the side, slowly backing up towards the front door. Just behind him was his mate, Aileen, cowering in fear at the anger that infused Spyro's face. The mere sight of them made him perk up, the rage and loss consuming him, forcing an evil notion to cross his mind.

He took slow steps towards the two dragons, his tail lashing from side to side and his muzzle drawn back in a snarl. "You two brought chaos into my home threatened the life of my baby girl and killed the young dragon that fought to get you into this city. Tell me now… why I shouldn't kill you too?!"

Cynder appeared from behind Spyro, quickly skirting around him to stand in his path. Her black scales were wet with blood that didn't belong to her, and her eyes were stern, but Spyro could see the heartbreak in her emerald gaze as well.

"What are you doing, Cynder?"

"I'm keeping you from making a big mistake, Spyro!" Cynder exclaimed, pushing her mate back with her paws. "You're getting that look in your eye. The same look you had when you fought Gaul, and the same look you had when you fought Malefor."

"Those were justified actions, Cynder," Spyro growled, tears filling his eyes. "And killing those two will be considered mercy for what I am really going to do…. they…. they killed Tanzim, Cynder. And I'm going to make them pay."

The black dragoness breathed, immediately seeing the hostility vanish from her mates' eyes. She turned her attention to Aileen, who hid under her mate's wing. "You're not a murderer, Spyro. Don't bring yourself down to do something that you can't take back. Please, I beg you."

Spyro took a deep breath through the nose, letting himself relax, regardless of how much he wanted to tear into the ice drake's scales. He could do it without breaking a sweat, and the endless forms of ending the traitor's life only fueled his desire to make it happen. But the look in his mate's pleading eyes held him back, putting his thoughts in a vice.

"Their family was threatened, Spyro."

The purple's eyes went wide with surprise, but his lips could not manifest words to share his disbelief.

"An evil group has them on a tight leash, and if they don't accomplish their mission, their family and everything they love will be wiped from the face of the planet," Cynder explained.

"What was their mission?"

Cyrus skeptically stepped forward, quietly reassuring his mate that everything was going to be okay. Though he couldn't look Spyro in the eyes, all his former anger and dominance stripped away from him. "My mission was simple, Spyro. I had to rid the world of your influence, leaving it open to a horrendous influence that would revert the world back to the olden ways. A time when dragons ruled with an iron fist, and all other species were enslaved to them."

"And what does killing me have to do with any of this?" Spyro demanded, advancing on Cyrus, and stopping in front of him. He stood over him with his chest puffed out, and his wings slightly spread.

"B-because you pose the biggest threat to them," Aileen admitted. "They can't initiate their plans if you still draw a breath. And they threatened my mate and baby if I didn't see to it that your heart stopped beating. We're all going to be dead by midnight."

Cyrus finally looked up into Spyro's gaze, seeing the fire that blazed in his pupils. But the ice drake couldn't lock eyes with the purple savior for long.

"Then answer me this, when you had me at your will on multiple engagements, why didn't you end it then and there? I think I know exactly why," Spyro spat, jabbing a claw at Cyrus. "Because you never wanted to kill me. It's why you stood off to the side and let your associates take the fall. I know a fake tough guy, facade when I see one."

"And of those six dragons you brought, the only one that is still breathing down here is that poison drake over there," Cynder added, barely glancing at the unconscious dragon. "I found the other two upstairs with their throats slashed. It looked like they killed themselves."

"I guess they couldn't live with their own failure," Spyro muttered, not caring for the respect of the deceased. "Because their actions would have brought them right back to me. But that also leaves us with a burning question. What're we going to do with you now?"

"It doesn't matter what you do to me because I am dead as it is," Cyrus answered shamefully. "The Order doesn't take kindly to failure, and the only payment for a failed mission is in blood. And they don't care whose blood it is. Come morning, guards will find my family dead in a ditch in a pool of our own blood."

"At this point, I don't care what happens to you, Cyrus," Spyro growled. "Because I just had to crystallize a young drake which I cared about who had just gotten back together with the love of his life. Her life is ruined now because of you. My poor little daughter is probably going to suffer some form of mental trauma for the rest of her life. So, I am going to say this one time." The purple drake came face to face with the ice dragon. "Take your mate and your precious egg and leave this city. Because if I find you anywhere in this city again, I am going to kill you in the most painful way possible."

The look of horror became present in Cyrus and Aileen's bodies. The lightning dragoness was petrified at Spyro's words, fearful at the prospect of having to once again fend for herself outside the sanctuary of the city walls. Cyrus, on the other hand, began to unravel, revealing the scared, hopeless drake he really was.

"You're condemning my family to die, Spyro!" Cyrus cried. "Please don't do this to us! Arrest us and put us in prison! Take our egg from us! Just don't exile us from the city! If we leave these walls, we'll die!"

"Cynder, please! After all that we had been through together," Aileen begged. "All the fond memories, the friendship that we formed. You're just going to throw that away! What about my baby?"

The black dragoness looked torn between her friend and her mate's decision, a tear building in her beautiful eyes. Her strong mental foundation was cracking, leaving her shaking in place, averting the begging looks from Aileen. She backed away from Spyro, who reached out with a paw, shaking her head disappointedly.

"I'm sorry, Aileen," Cynder whispered, turning her back on the dragoness. "But we must live with the consequences of our actions. I thought I could trust you, but I was wrong." A single tear trickled down her cheek before she turned and disappeared down a side hall.

Aileen stepped forward to try and pursue the black dragoness, but Spyro glared at her as he stood in her path. She broke down into tears, pressing her face into her mate's chest. Her only possible salvation faded away like a puff of smoke, losing the chance of finding the reason for Spyro's choice in allowing them to leave.

Spyro hadn't removed his eyes from the hallway Cynder walked down, sighing in shame, knowing he had disappointed her. She'd let him hear it later, but now he had more pressing matters to deal with. Somehow, he felt guilty for making his serious threat but knew that justice had to be served. He held back the tears in his eyes as he muttered his final demand.

"Leave my home and this city," Spyro said quietly. "You've done enough damage already."

"Please don't do this, Spyro," Cyrus pleaded. "If not for me, do it for my child and Aileen. Don't let them suffer for my actions."

"You should've thought about them first before you broke my trust and attacked my family and me!" Spyro hissed. "Now unless you want me to spill your blood on this floor, I'd suggest you take your mate and leave. Grab your egg, pack up, and fly north until your wings hurt. And once you get that hurt feeling, keep flying until you collapse. Because I never want to see you ever again."

Spyro didn't say anything more as he walked away from them, letting the tears run down his cheek. He never knew that condemning a family to death by exile would hurt so bad. The sound of Aileen's cries echoed in his ears even after the doors closed behind them. He'd never forget this decision, that feeling of remorse would forever haunt him, knowing he could have protected them regardless of their actions.

Because to him, the only monster in the city was the one that rested within his heart and soul.

* * *

 **A/N: I worked relentlessly and tirelessly to get this chapter done! It was a long one, but a necessary one. If you've been taking mental note of things that have happened in the story, you'll notice this chapter ties a lot of them together.**

 **Tango returns in the next chapter! So the flashbacks are going to come to an end!**

 **I appreciate your patience and I can't wait until the next one!**

 **Atlas Out!**


	14. Visions of Sorrow

**Act II : Lost Lineage**

 **Chapter 13**

 **Visions of Sorrow**

* * *

The darkness of the night brought with it a chilling breeze, drifting into the large open window of the bedroom. A cold and unwavering demeanor relentlessly tried to consume the warmth as both Spyro and Cynder huddled closely together. The purple drake draped his large wing over his mate, shielding her from the scale-shivering temperature as she continued to bury her face into his chest. His core was naturally heated, giving his mate the comfort, she desired as the night was surpassing its darkest point.

And buried in the crook of his neck was his little baby girl, Avala.

Having been tormented with the mental trauma of the events nearly seven years prior, the little snowball still had difficulties being separated from her daddy for more than a few moments. She never forgot the day when terrible beings with hostile intents used her as collateral to get her father to submit to an assassination. Many nights following were harder than she ever experienced, living a painful fear through dreams. Spyro never held her so tightly in his life after he exiled the two dragons, which he wrongly judged as trustworthy. Avala cried and whimpered for hours, never fully settling down until later that evening when exhaustion finally succumbed to her tiny frame.

Awakening to the sound of his daughter screaming in the night brought great sorrow to Spyro's heart, knowing the events continued to plague his little girl as much as they did for him. His senses heightened whenever he heard even the slightest sound of laughter and joy, frequently mistaking it for distress. This was something he never believed would happen to his family, especially his daughter, barely over a year old when the incident occurred. Seeing her in such a broken and confused state was the hardest thing he ever had to witness.

Spyro felt Avala's small form nestled against his neck, her little head buried into the notch behind his jaw. He could hear her breathing, exhaling happily when he heard how peaceful it sounded. It had been another bad night for her, waking in blood-chilling whimpers, claiming that the monsters were coming back to get her. The ice dragoness hadn't left her father's side since waking up, refusing to fall asleep alone out of fear the nightmares would return. So, for another night, the little 'ness slept in her parent's room.

Although, Spyro failed to return back to slumber and had been left pondering.

He reached deep into his memory, where the event had been branded into his mind, trying to fully understand what happened on that fateful day. The purple drake had never felt so betrayed in such a long time, a blessing to him, but later finding it also cursed him too. Living his life in peace and serenity only invited the challenge of an attack or an assassination. An event like that would cripple those around him, leaving them vulnerable to some individual's sinful desires. And after learning the truth about Cyrus and Aileen, Spyro had a good understanding of the chaos that could have ensued if the attempt proved successful.

In the days following the attack, Spyro moved his family to the Dragon Temple, where they sought comfort and security within its walls. He took Cyrus's warning with great caution, not wanting to tempt the odds and try to withstand another possible attack within his home, especially since the ice drake and his mate had disappeared from the city. Even though a part of him wished he had gotten the pair arrested, the other part of him could sense that they were under pressure and forced to do the bidding of a higher, more powerful entity. So, to combat that possibility, Spyro and Cynder sought out potential evidence in the cordoned home of Cyrus and Aileen.

They had found very little evidence that would even suggest a threat to anybody in the city, let alone Spyro and his family. The only few things they found were letters and a couple notes; otherwise, Cyrus and Aileen didn't seem like they would be willing to attempt such a daring act of violence. It made the remorse expand and contract within him, realizing that by now the two dragons might have been slain, leaving the fate of their lone egg in the paws of the Ancestors.

It stung his golden heart to know that he had killed three more lives, all out of anger and revenge. It made him feel like he was living in the shadow of the Dark Lord, Malefor. Like this act of exiling a young family was only just the beginning of a potentially darker and grimmer future. A future he dared not to get tangled up in.

But based off what they did learn, killing Spyro would have only just been the beginning, meaning that there was something bigger and bolder in the mind of the mysterious group, The Order of the Dark Crescent; a radical collection of zealots with tyrannical agendas and no regard for the loss of individual life.

The recent past was their intended future when dragons ruled over the small and weak. Not the place where a young family should be involved, especially one with an egg close to hatching at the time.

That's if the egg was even given a chance to hatch in the first place.

Spyro cringed to himself at the potential danger he had put that family in, exiling them out of emotion and fear, never giving them a second chance, he now believed they should have received. Despite Cyrus's intentions, he never physically attacked Spyro, only taunting him from a distance, leaving the purple dragon's life at the claws of the other intruders. The only thing that put Spyro over the edge was when his baby daughter was in the ice drake's grasp, her eyes and sounds filled with overwhelming fear and emotion. Which made it seem like the battle never was truly over for any of them, something they would always remember for the rest of their days.

Yet, despite his feelings, he still was miserable about condemning the poor family to the dangers that lurked beyond the city walls. Besides his daughter's nightmares keeping him awake at night, Spyro never found peace within himself to forgive and forget the grim piece of the past. And it prevented him from sleeping.

He saved his daughter's life that day, but he certainly didn't account for the other beings that were condemned that night.

 _Tanzim…_

The mere thought of the young drake shook Spyro's very being, knowing that he had lost a good chunk of himself when he was forced to crystallize the poor lad. It hit him hard every single day when he woke up, looking to a pedestal hiding in the corner that held a large, red crystal. He also possessed the chest plate from Tanzim's armor, hanging it above the door in his room. Both items Spyro held tightly to his heart, taking a few moments every day to sit and admire them, occasionally speaking to them as if he were talking to Tanzim in the flesh.

Though the hardest part of losing the young guard had yet to come.

Upon seeking sanctuary in the Dragon Temple, Spyro had immediately gone to find Lyla, Tanzim's mate. Trying to explain to the poor dragoness that the love of her life was dead was not a new experience for Spyro, but it hurt like a thousand broadswords slashing him to bits. Especially when she made the accusations that it was all Spyro's fault that Tanzim was killed. She instantly resented her comments when Spyro told her that Tanzim put his own life on the line to save others, sacrificing himself to save two lives at the cost of his own.

"He'll forever be known as a hero in my heart," Spyro had said to Lyla. "My daughter and I are forever in his debt."

It was at that moment when Spyro learned that Lyla and Tanzim had become a mated pair only a few days prior. Watching her drown in grief reminded him of when he lost Ignitus in the Belt of Fire, the amount of loss and pain he felt had cascaded him into a level of sorrow he had never experienced before. He held the orange and cream-colored dragoness close to him, promising that if she ever needed anything at all, that she was welcome to come and seek him out.

Yet, in the seven years since the incident, the young 'ness never knocked on Spyro's door. Though, it brought him reassurance to see her occasionally in the streets of Warfang, even if their paths never physically crossed. He couldn't bring himself to actually check on her, getting a gnawing feeling at the thought of walking towards her, fearful of breaking her heart at the mere sight of him. Spyro didn't want to be a constant reminder of Tanzim's death in her eyes, though he knew that's exactly what he was to her.

A sad, pitiful reminder that her chance at love was slaughtered.

He still felt her broken heart even to this very day, something that would most likely never mend. So much loss and heartbreak had been made that fateful day it left a brand in his skull, never letting him forget the immense loss of life and blood that was spilled, creating the nightmares that hindered his sleep.

Like most other sleepless nights, Spyro slowly took to his feet and gingerly shifted away from his mate and precious bundle, moving the little 'ness closer to her mother, giving him the reassurance that she wouldn't get that dreaded lonely feeling. He carefully laid a soft, fleece-lined blanket across the two dragonesses before stepping with the weight of a feather onto the balcony. The change from the warm room into the brisk of the night felt instant, his scales momentarily shivering.

A soft, gentle wind caressed his body, tickling at his nerves and making his skin crawl. But he didn't pay much attention to it as he spontaneously propelled himself off the balcony and into the air. The purple drake spread his wings wide and quickly gained altitude, climbing up to bring himself onto the roof of his home; a place where he could let his mind relax and feel comfortable. It allowed him the much-needed silence and fresh air to be enjoyed without the prying eyes, a chance to feel at ease before returning to the hustle and bustle of being a parent.

Furthermore, these past few years made this place his only real escape from the events of the past, the physical remnants of the past featured all over his home taunted him, never leaving him alone and nagging him with horrid flashes of that day.

But he felt a sense of resolve and peace whenever he looked out upon the city during the night, its streets never truly asleep as guards roamed their posts with eyes peeled or young lovers snuck off to secluded areas for alone time. It reminded him of the first few years after the war, when he and Cynder were still flowering in their relationship, getting into all sorts of mischief.

Yet, despite his comfort, Spyro still felt like there was a part of his brain that was telling him that something was amiss.

It was the kind of sensation that when you were completely alone, you felt surrounded by other beings of a more spiritual nature. Invisible to the naked eye but instilling a profound presence to the living. It was like Spyro could feel dozens of paws pressing against him, feeling the warmth of the Ancestors flowing through that touch, giving the fabled drake a comforting reassurance. The more he thought about it, contact became all too real like he was actually being caressed by many paws.

The realization that he wasn't alone finally settled on his shoulders and he exhaled happily, feeling the much-needed release from the years of stress. Even though he couldn't see those around him, Spyro imagined that the gentle warmth was emanating from his deceased loved ones and beloved friends. And what better way to lift his spirits than to speak his mind openly, knowing his voice would be heard, in hopes of receiving guidance in return.

Spyro straightened his posture, puffing out his chest, and lifting his shoulders. He held his head up high, taking a momentary glance up at the night sky, observing the multitude of stars surrounding the bright, white moon. He inhaled a deep breath before closing his eyes and bowing his head to the ground, opening his muzzle to speak a prayer.

"Okay, um… I don't do this often, but I have no one else to turn to for this, though. I pray to you, Ancestors, who watch over us every second of our lives and you may or may not have noticed my deeds. I made some questionable decisions that affected my family life for many years. The bear is unimaginable since I intend to never bring harm and yet the vile snakes of deceit found their way to my weaknesses and forced my paw. There is no one among the living to turn to for forgiveness, so I direct my plea to you." He lost his focus momentarily, squinting his eyes too hard to the point he teared up.

"I don't know if it's even possible to ask, but I'd appreciate if you enlightened me on how to make up for my wrongdoings, I don't want Tanzim's sacrifice to go in vain." He bit his lip, gnawing at it with a fang until he unwillingly popped it. Maybe the Ancestors would take blood as atonement. "He deserved so much more and had a long healthy life to live. And I took that from him and his mate. Not a day goes by where I don't stop to think about him. If I tried harder, I might have been able to save his life."

"I need guidance… a sign… a direction to go… something to help me rebuild. Anything," Spyro croaked as tears trickled down his cheeks. "I've fallen so far off the path that I don't know if I am heading in the right direction anymore."

Spyro waited patiently for any sort of response but couldn't even remain hopeful in the slightest. The warm feeling faded from his scales, being replaced with the breeze that gently picked up to a massive gust of wind. The wind dried his cheeks as it whistled past his face, forcing his wing to shield the two squinted eyes of his. It didn't take long for him to come to an understanding that his closure would not be found on this night, leaving a heavy feeling of dread in his gut and a pang of sadness in his heart.

Swallowing the lump choking his throat, Spyro approached the edge of the rooftop and looked over it, gazing at the dimly lit street below, finding no signs of life. Had the weather been in his favor, the purple drake wouldn't have been bothered at the prospect of taking a nightly stroll through the city. But the world had impeccable timing when it came to using its natural power of weather. However, a yawn snatched the thought away as fatigue and sleepiness washed over him, making his body feel heavy, and his eyes droopy.

Slumber was the only desire that was somewhat achievable at the moment.

Being careful not to fall off the roof to a clumsy and embarrassing death, Spyro spread his wings and took off into the sky, slowly flapping his wings to gain minimal altitude. He inhaled deeply through the nose, taking great satisfaction in the cold air before banking back towards his home. The total flight from the roof to his balcony took less than a minute as he gingerly touched down on the smooth surface and immediately sought the warmth of his room. A wave of heat engulfed his frame, allowing him to warm up before returning to his two loves: Cynder and Avala.

As his body relished in the warmth of the room, Spyro turned to look at the pedestal that carried the crystal Spyro had taken from Tanzim's crystallized form. It was a perfect cylinder of a red energy crystal smoothed to perfection sitting on a base of solid steel. It had been taken from Tanzim's underbelly, allowing his crystallized body to remain as intact as possible for his loved ones to bury. He had the pleasure of meeting his parents and loved ones at a private ceremony held in the city's cemetery where the young drake was laid to his final rest. It was also the last time Spyro ever spoke to Lyla.

Resting against the crystal was a small letter written a few weeks after the funeral from the orange and cream dragoness. It had been intended to be a thank you letter for bringing Tanzim back into her life at the beginning, but it ended with the heavy toll it had brought upon her, changing her mentally and emotionally. It left a sizeable gap in Spyro's heart reading it for the first time, a hole that remained unfilled seemingly forever. He longed to find a way to tell her how sorry he was for everything that happened, yet despite his many brave deeds, that one made him the most uneasy and nervous.

"I'll make it up to her someday," Spyro whispered, being careful not to disturb the sleeping dragonesses. "It's the least I can do…"

Setting the thought aside, Spyro felt the full force of sleep settle on his shoulders, finally reaching the point where he could easily collapse to the floor. So, taking long and silent steps, he closed the distance to the bed and slowly climbed into it, making himself as comfortable as possible without waking up Cynder. He wasn't in the mood for a scolding and disturbing his baby girl's sleep would surely be rewarded with an earful. His mouth gaped in a massive yawn, settling himself down on the soft surface of the bed before closing his eyes.

It was only a few moments later that he felt a small body press against his neck, a vague whimper followed by a pleasing grumble vibrated against his scales. Spyro gave a little smirk as he stretched a wing across his child and mate, allowing the drowsiness to take him into its embrace.

And soon, his vision faded to black.

* * *

It must have been only a few minutes after Spyro succumbed to his body's need to sleep when he awoke to a high-pitched humming noise in his ears. He squeezed his eyes tight, hoping to make it stop or at least dull to favorable levels. But the sound only increased in volume, and the back of his eyelids flashed in a blinding white light opening his eyes and quickly finding that something was amiss with his surroundings. Spyro immediately looked over to hopefully see Cynder and Avala still sleeping soundly, only to find they weren't there at all.

He was at his feet in an instant.

His room had taken a drastic change, and he couldn't help but find it strangely familiar yet so foreign. The floor looked covered in a thin layer of fog that came right up to the edge of the bed. Any surrounding objects that broke above it all shared a solid and dull grey color that left no shine or reflection.

He immediately scanned the room frantically, finding it oddly recognizable. His paws rubbed his lazy eyes and stretched the scaly eyelids open. Still, no sign of his family. There were times when Cynder quietly crept off, courtesy of her… nature, but the tone had changed this time. Avala was gone too as if a shadow had poured through the room and swallowed everything in its path.

The next step was to get out of the comfy bed of his and onto the dark, abyssal floor that looked nothing like the design he had chosen years ago. It surely wasn't his best option. He dipped his paw hesitantly in the fog, it wavered and swirled around it as if the paw commanded the mist, it dared not touch him. As soon as his digits met the solid floor, the hum that was bothering him the whole time skipped to a sudden drumming noise that shook his head.

The change in ambiance made him withdraw his snout and darted his eyes to the ceiling, expecting an attack from above. The dread crept upon his scaly back like millions of ants making their way to a patch of dirt where they could drill in a hole and nestle, that specific patch being the back of his skull. He tittered his toes over that spot, it was clearly numb, and he feared he'd been hit by an unknown force.

He found that his left paw had safely landed this whole time and was unaffected by whatever dark magic was at play here, a great relief for Spyro who was always known for calculating each of his steps ahead, except that time he got crushed under a steel bell, that wasn't derived. Soon, he was on the floor and on high alert, the fog dissipating around him, he felt the spotlight was turned on him.

The ceiling was goopy, dripping black tar that formed mini stalagmites. This was not part of the interior design, it looked more like Cynder had stuck herself in a wall, even that thought wouldn't relieve him properly. He shot a glance at a half-open door, a familiar hallway that led to the grand staircase. It was all there, in the right place, but at the same time, nothing was the same. A gloomy, asphyxiating aura threatened to bind a knot around his throat and suffocate him. He instinctively grasped his throat and emanated a deep cough.

With long and light-footed strides, he took the usual way down, so alienated still from his surroundings. Scary atmosphere or not, he had to find his family. That was his outlook in life, being scared to do something, but doing it anyways with a puffed chest and a raised snout. People depended on his ability to subdue fear.

He groaned as his toes bumped against an out of place object. He knew his home down to the last corner, so it couldn't have been clumsiness. He had to squint his eyes through the dark to see the broken pillar, that once held an intricate antique discarded on the floor. He turned around the corner and scolded himself inwardly. How did he not hear a pillar crashing on marble?

The scenery ahead made his blood freeze, eyes popped out of their sockets like googly orbs. This run down, sorry excuse of a living room was in the same state as it was seven years ago, with bodies strewn across the floor, burn marks scattered on the walls and blood spilled on household objects.

The only difference was the mist, that damned mist was obscuring the faces of the dead, empty, emotionless husks with no identity.

Were the Ancestors trying to convey a message? If his prayers had been answered, he never expected it to look like this. It was surreal because of how believable all this seemed, and he wanted it to stop.

Beyond that living area, nothing resembled his home anymore. The marble floor only extended towards each direction so much, until it was torn to slabs, then the slabs were breaking apart into smaller pieces. Little platforms and floating pillars decorated the rather depressing abyss, leading to the unknown Spyro once craved to explore, but now grew tired of.

"Cynder! Avala!" He'd find his family and leg it out of here, hoping they weren't trapped here too.

The corner of his eye caught a whizzing draconic silhouette, flying in the eye of the darkness. It looked like the typical starry sky, but more colorful… The stars were much more prominent and shinier, some were planet-sized to his great awe!

Only patches of this jeweled sky flashed in the abyss, darkness loomed as usual and when he closed in on the pitch black, impossible as it sounded, it was replaced by the pesky fog again.

He pranced along with the platforms with dexterity, it felt oddly inappropriate to just fly over them, as if he was asking to get in trouble. They reminded him of these dreams the Chronicler gave him. Maybe that was him again, calling him to action.

That didn't sound so promising after all. The magical capabilities of the purple dragon were limitless, he could sense others' reserves when he focused. This place had nothing…

It was devoid of magic, yet it was so otherworldly, he was in a twisted children's fable.

But more than anything, it was transforming into a frozen wasteland all of a sudden. Spyro could tell because his fins stiffened, and his back scales were pricked by little stings. He pressed on.

Two dragons were hovering in the distance, they circled a spot above all the platforms. He opted to hop until he reached the same place.

 _"... shouldn't have left…"_ A female voice desperately cried, hollow and even more distant with Spyro's every step.

 _"...We could've begged…"_ She was in great distress, clutching something against her chest. Spyro had to resort to waving his paws around for the mist to pave his way.

 _"... Didn't want my child to grow up in that cesspit…"_ A gruff voice replied, almost attacking the female. Spyro knew that voice, it brought him chills.

 _"...buy us time…"_ There was contained panic.

 _"...Hide it…"_ A swift order echoed before the silence settled in again.

There was shuffling of paws, a familiar looming dread and clanking of armor. Spyro didn't need a second longer to spring into action, cranky muscles and locked joints loosening up after years of not being used to their full potential. He pranced from platform to platform with finesse. A long time ago, he would need his time-shifting powers to even step from one to another.

Now he was wheezing past the extraterrestrial skies, focused on stopping the unfairness and evil of the Dark Army, the Apes, anyone who opposed him this time.

The cries grew distant as if for every step he took, the pair moved back by ten.

Beware the wicked of the mighty dragon's wrath, he never failed to reach his target.

Unless there was nothing to reach.

Before he knew it, snowflakes rained on his snout, he twitched his muzzle to shake them off. The state of the snowy wild outcropping was familiar. He recognized a few mountains shielding it from view. A hallowed place, its forgettable name was not something he could put his claws on.

He trotted silently through the blizzard, oddly no stinging cold pierced his scales. Maybe adulthood made him numb, dragons were not susceptible to the elements, they commanded them.

Not the same could be said for the poor thing he saw in front of him. A dragon it was by all means. No other creature, even in the harshest conditions, could be passed for sharing the majestic frame of a dragon. The little one was a heartbreaking sight to watch. He shuffled his lanky legs through a shoulder's depth of snow, heading to a small hole in the ground; presumably, the yellow scales scared beyond reason, as if he was abandoned to a pit of wild beasts.

Spyro lifted his massive paws as he feared he'd sink in the white landscape and shouted.

"Hey! Come over here!"

The child barely noticed him. Maybe it had grown deaf from the cold too… Spyro was not one to give up so easily though, he stomped the snow and cleared a path to him. Just when he was about to snatch the failing rugged body, a blizzard struck him. His vision was lost, even when he opened his eyes, only the void remained.

"What is this? Where is the child?"

The darkness had settled in again and with it the usual ominous silence that offered nothing but frustration at this point. The entire land was gone, slipped under his paws.

"It's all gone…" He intoned disappointed.

He sat down and tapped his claws, wondering what he missed. It took him a minute to realize another set of claws was tapping at the same rhythm behind him. He turned but saw nothing.

Obviously, it was hard to discern hues of black in the dark. Cynder's distinct grunt alerted him.

"Oh, Cynder! You won't believe what I just saw!" He was just glad his mate was still around.

Behind her popped a little white and blue head, Avala curled in the embrace of her mother.

"What's he doing here?" She asked with a glint of worry to Cynder who rocked her gently.

"Child murderers have no place in this family." She was cold, the tone and lack of spunk signaled him that this wasn't his Cynder.

"What do you mean?" He asked completely dumbfounded.

"We begged, and you didn't listen…" Another voice, almost on the brink of tears, rose from thin air, high pitched, and lacking any feminine charm.

Aileen huddled with her mate Cyrus stared down at Spyro, he hoped he would never see these faces again.

"You two! What have you done to my family? Cyrus, this is where you die!" He pointed a threatening claw and assumed a combat stance.

"You can't kill a dead dragon. Didn't your mentors teach you anything?" He groomed his mate's scales, without even paying attention to the legendary and pissed dragon across him.

Spyro drew closer and closer, scraping his claws against an abstract floor, snarl outlining his face was the last thing Cyrus would see.

"Our child! You murdered our child, and now you'll come for us!" Aileen screeched in a ghostly manner.

"Disrespecting the dead. Not the Spyro I courted." Cynder pitched in.

He slowed his pace to a halt. Now, he demanded answers.

"What's all this? Where is the kid I saw?" He asked calmly, preparing to charge up his element.

"We don't know. You left us to our fate. The last time we saw it was before the lights went out. In the Wilds." Cyrus uncaringly explained.

"Where is that? Cynder, can you help me here?" He huffed and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead.

Cynder held her nose high and shielded Avala from the decrepit sight of the "criminal" Spyro.

"Malefor pales in front of you."

These few words, coming from her mouth, had him snapping his head in an instant, towards her.

"You don't mean that." He denied, "You're lying."

The whispers started, that was never a good sign. Tiny creeping paws of mist extended to Spyro. Cyrus vanished; Aileen disappeared in a pool of ghostly tears. Cynder, she just looked down on him with understandable disgust and spared her child from the repulsion.

"Successor of Malefor. I'm not falling for a purple dragon again. Keep these paws to yourself." She hunched and bared her fangs.

"Please listen, you're not acting like yourself." The whispers repeated her words on playback, a cry of an infant banging his eardrums, but Avala was silent and still as a grave in front of him.

"You'll pick up from where he stopped." He was sure that wasn't his destiny. He had fulfilled that prophecy years ago.

Or not.

The whispers deteriorated his hearing, for all the silence they strived to preserve, they were getting increasingly loud.

"Make them stop, I'll never pray again. The Whispers, the Whispers, the Whi-"

"Whispering Wilds!" He shot up from his slumped position in bed, utterly devoid of any energy even though he felt like he slept for ages.

Cynder eyed him fearfully. Her droopy eyes were still adjusting to the light, she wrapped her paws around his leg. "You drinking without my permission again? Oh no, wait… One of Volteer's experiments is keeping you up, right?" She pinched his cheek in a teasing manner but found no reaction from the absent-minded visionary.

"Hun, what's wrong?" She fretted when her mate was not up to his usual morning antics. He spontaneously parted his lips, then smacked them shut.

"We need to head there… Whispering Wilds…" He uttered slowly as if he kept reminding to an old dragon an essential piece of information that he must never forget.

"What's there?" Cynder never lost faith in his gut instinct, but the child huddled and snoozing between them reminded her where her duties lie.

Spyro eyed her with a soul-piercing stare, it was his face when he made a new discovery. These amethyst orbs would double in size and pupils would dilate. The adventure had him hooked for life it seemed.

"Redemption."

* * *

The atmosphere in the room had progressively sunken into a deep and visceral abyss, a whirlwind of emotions cascaded through Tango's scales, trying to wrap his head around the detailed story. Each event shared cultivated into a mass of questions and demands, all striving to be the first to escape his trembling lips. But when he mustered up the urge to speak, his throat would seize, leaving him feeling hot and uncomfortable.

His bright blue eyes felt dry as he struggled to even look at his adopted parents, knowing their expressions were heartbroken and longing to try and comfort him. Yet he just couldn't bring himself to accept their love and affection, wondering if all these years had been a sad, little stage play. As much as he would've liked to disagree with the thought, the young drake found no reason for it not to be true.

Because as far as he knew, he'd been lied to for the past ten years of his life.

A torrent of tears finally broke free from the corners of his eyes as he peered around the room, painfully searching for any form of a truth or even something positive. Family portraits decorated the walls, and a fair amount of them were of him and his sister; if that's what he could also call her anymore. He shared a tightly knit bond with her but could literally feel those bonds being sliced through with a knife.

He'd never be able to look her in the eye and see the same dragoness he grew up with. Tango would forever see her as a young 'ness that carried the traumatic memory branded into her mind given to her by his birth father.

It all began to make sense now.

In a quick flash of moments living in Warfang and spending time with Avala, Tango remembered how the ice dragoness behaved around some aspects of dragons, especially ice and shadow dragons. Except for family and friends, Avala was always anxious in the presence of them, separating herself and hiding behind someone, trembling slightly and frantically searching for ways to get out of their sight. Tango never really took it for anything more than merely disliking the particular individual.

But knowing what had occurred in this household so many years ago made it all come back around full circle.

Yet, it made him question something else…

 _Did Avala know the whole truth as well?_

He couldn't imagine the amount of guilt she would be hiding if that were the case, but then again, Tango had some semblance of hope knowing she was still only a baby when it all happened. To live with such trauma at such a young age was something they both had in common. Knowing this about his adopted sibling crushed him, and it was going to make it even harder to cope with.

Tango finally looked toward the ones he grew up calling mother and father, finally seeing a pure embarrassment, sadness, and shame in their eyes. It was tough to even maintain eye contact with either of them, their gazes suddenly felt foreign and that of a stranger rather than a loving parent. His mother was openly crying to herself, the guilt fully settling on her shoulders as she silently pleaded forgiveness from her child. And his father couldn't even look his son in the eye, drooping his head to the side with a trembling lip.

The lightning dragon dug down deep into the mental strength he still had left, mustering up what he could to finally open his mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me about them sooner," Tango croaked, his voice shaking.

Cynder made the first move, wiping her face, and looking to her mate who still remained in his own world of sadness and regret. She shut her eyes with a sigh, speaking to Tango in slow and precise words.

"We've wanted to tell you for such a long time, Tango," Cynder explained, trying to keep herself composed as she wiped her eyes. "But we couldn't risk sharing information like that with you. Especially with all the horrors and dangers that came with it. Besides, you were far too little to know about them yet. We did it to protect you."

"Who were you trying to protect, _mother_ ," Tango snarled. "Me? Or yourselves?"

Cynder screwed her eyes shut, a tear breaking free of her eye and running rapidly down her cheek before moistening the soft material of the bed. Tango had never seen such defeat in her eyes in the ten years he lived with her.

"You were friends with my mother. Spending each waking hour in each other's presence doing whatever it is that dragonesses do," Tango challenged, pointing an accusing claw at Spyro. "And you just stood by and watched as he sent them away. You tossed her aside like a piece of trash. So, instead of coming clean, you hide it from me, when I had every right to know. Now for all I know, my own birth mother is dead! And that's _your_ fault!"

Tango broke his gaze with her to stare daggers into Spyro, a roaring flame building in his chest and belly. "You haven't looked at me once since you finished the story of how you basically killed my parents. To think I actually looked up to you, sought guidance, cried on your shoulder and everything in between. The one thing I never regretted doing until now... was calling you my father. It makes me sick!"

Spyro flinched at the undesired words, turning to look at his son dead in the eyes, revealing the puffiness of his reddened orbs. Streams lined his cheeks, leaving a sheen that caught the light just right. He was broken on the inside, nothing more than a disintegrating husk with sincere regret for past actions and decisions. Decisions he knew from the get-go that would prove to haunt him in terrible ways.

"Cynder and I saved you from freezing to death in a snowstorm. Had I have not had that vision in my sleep, we wouldn't have found you," Spyro explained gently, the silence in his throat growing tiresome. "I couldn't stand idly knowing you were out there, nearly on the verge of death when we found you."

"It didn't take us long to connect the dots about who your parents were," Cynder added quietly. "Besides the difference in elements, you are almost a spitting image of your father. Same determination and stubbornness too. But you take most after your mother. You have her kindness, generosity, and caring nature..."

Tango felt moisture building in the corners of his eyes, but he didn't try to argue with his adopted mother. It felt kind of nice to hear what they were like as ordinary people and not the victims that they genuinely were. Though he wasn't going to admit that to either of them.

"What else was my mother like?"

Spyro looked over to Cynder, who nodded her silent understanding. She exhaled before letting her memory take the reins of her voice.

"Aileen was like no other dragoness I've ever been friends with," Cynder said. "Very observant, incredibly smart, and generous beyond compare. Not a day went by where I couldn't find her without a smile on her face, and she was gorgeous to look at as well. Beautiful yellow and blue scales and ruby red eyes that looked directly into your soul. But you know what she always talked about with a passion?"

Tango swallowed the lump at the back of his throat and shook his head, not caring to put in the effort to answer her obvious question.

"She could spend hours talking about how excited she was for you to come into the world," Cynder continued, forcing a smile across her muzzle. "The many activities and places she wanted you to experience, all the people she had grown close to, and how you and Avala were going to be great friends."

"But that never happened," Tango mumbled sadly. "I never got to experience that with either of them."

"Unfortunately, not," Cynder sympathized. "But we gave you the life you should have been born into, and we're both deeply sorry for sending your family away. It was an emotionally based decision we both have come to terms with over the years."

"I don't want your sympathy; I want my parents." Tango shook his head as he paced back and forth. "You still took me into your home. Me! The son of the drake that stopped at nothing to try and kill you! The same drake that my only sibling sees in her nightmares! And for what? So, you could seek forgiveness for making a terrible mistake. Well, guess what, you've failed on a monumental scale."

"I sadly have to disagree with you when you say I failed to forgive myself, Tango. I may have to feel the mental scars of my poor decisions for the rest of my life, but I have never felt biased about you. Because having you in my life, has been both redemption for my actions… and a true blessing and treasure."

Tango halted in his tracks at that word, taking a single, long, and deep breath. He exhaled through his nose as he turned to look up at Spyro, who stood a few feet away from him. The fabled drake was crouched over him, giving a silent plead at the smaller yellow dragon. But all Tango could do was back away until his hindquarters bumped into the wall. His eyes were filled with disbelief, directed at Spyro in mixed feelings of consternation.

"You were... using me?" Tango questioned, bringing a paw to his forehead, finding the surface of his scales hot and close to bleeding sweat. "You… you didn't come to just simply rescue me, did you?"

Spyro sighed heavily, falling back onto his haunches before shaking his head guiltily.

"I'm forced to live with the consequences of my actions every single day, Tango. Had I have not let anger cloud my judgment; I could have kept them safe from further harm. Yet, I didn't, and now, I will forever bear the memory that I was the reason that they might be dead," Spyro finally conceded, sniffing his nostrils. "And because of that vision, I knew exactly what I needed to do

when I first laid eyes on you."

"Being what exactly? Obviously, it wasn't to finish what you started because I'm still drawing breath," Tango theorized aggressively. "No… you came for an entirely different reason. You came so you could redeem yourself for murdering my parents!" He spat his last words at the purple dragon, his muzzle barred fangs in a snarl.

"It was never my true intention to redeem myself, Tango," Spyro painfully admitted. "I thought I had lost all hope for myself until I found you. Wasn't sure if I was going to keep going on with life knowing that I had failed so many people like your parents, Cynder, Avala, Lyla, and Tanzim. So many lives I've changed because I made the wrong choice."

"You forgot me!" Tango exclaimed. "My life has changed the most because of you! I survived in the woods of an environment that was hostile and untamed for over seven years. Now I know that was all because of one individual and not some bad luck. That individual… was you! You're the reason I can't sleep at night because the nightmare belongs to the only one I thought I could find comfort in. My body is covered in scar tissue from monsters that wanted to kill me, but you handed me to them on a silver platter when you condemned my parents to death by exile!"

A torrent of tears rushed down Tango's cheeks as he forced himself to stare daggers into Spyro's hide. His whole body shivered with fear, feeling scared in the presence of the ones he used to call his parents; they were nothing but strangers to him now. It broke his heart to push himself away from them, feeling every second of the last ten years stripping itself from his flesh. But he could no longer see them like the ones that gave him life, but the ones that took his real one away from him.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Tango," Spyro whispered. "Had I not exiled them, I would have been putting your sister in more risk. For that reason alone, they had to go, even though I knew I should have been more merciful. If I could change the past, I would."

"When you figure that out, go back in time and keep my parents from entering the city, so that they may never have to believe the lies that you spew. I failed to see through them for so long, and now I don't know the difference between a truth and a lie whenever you decide to open your mouth. You're nothing but a fairytale," Tango chastised. "And for that reason alone,…. I hate you." He turned to walk out of the room, avoiding eye contact with Cynder, who he knew was crying heavily.

Cynder buried her snout in Spyro's shoulder. All these years of nurturing and care slowly torn down in a matter of minutes. She wasn't proud of the lies either, but the cost was too great. The longer you keep up a lie, the more it hurts when the crutch is kicked out from under you.

She'd been leaning on that crutch for ten years, she couldn't bear to lose so much in such little time. She still hadn't recovered from all the misery that followed her since the very start of her life. The pile just grew and it weighed on Spyro's shoulders. Nonetheless, when she saw her boy scrambling outside, her lips quivered, parting slightly to call out to him. A hoarse struggling voice drowned her own whimper and she fell silent again.

"Tango, wait!" Spyro begged, his voice coming out as a sob. "When… when we brought you home for the first time, I felt that hollow feeling in my heart disappear entirely. Even knowing who your parents were and the horrible things they did, I saw through their darkness and found you as their only surviving light. And I knew at that moment, I had to raise you under my wing, giving you the life you deserve. Because I care about you, Tango."

Tango's shoulders slumped, falling back onto his haunches. His gaze shifted to the chest plate hanging above the door, instantly knowing who it belonged to. Looking over his shoulder and past Spyro, the little drake caught a red glint from the red energy crystal that rested on its pedestal in the far corner. He turned to look up at the purple scaled drake, a panging sadness brimming his eyes.

"You ended the life of the last dragon that you cared about, and stripped me of the one I was supposed to live," Tango returned, his voice barely a whisper. "Death and despair follow you like a deep, dark shadow, hurting those that get too close and killing those that get even closer. And you hurt me before I got to see the sun for the first time. You never once truly cared about me, because there are only two individuals that you cherish: Cynder and Avala."

"Don't dishonor Tanzim's memory by using it against me and don't you dare say I don't care about you," Spyro retorted sharply, pointing a claw at Tango. "If I didn't love you, I would've left your fate to the city's childcare services. Maybe you would've been spared from the lies then and I could have another child with Cynder. This is what you want?"

"So that's how it is then..." Tango murmured. "You allow my parents to die so that Avala and Cynder could live. And I thought that your duty as the fabled purple dragon was to protect all lives from harm. But you almost killed me too…" His tears came down in an uncontrollable sob, his heart and mind tender from the abuse. "An innocent, unhatched baby nearly died because his parents were forced to do something terrible. A death that would have been at the paws of the purple dragon himself. You're no hero. And you're not my father."

The lightning drake didn't even wait to hear a response as he withdrew himself from the room, his head held low and his tail dragging behind him. He couldn't hold it within himself any longer as he very openly began to cry, allowing the negative energy to vacate his frame. Though he could feel himself teeming with bad energy.

Now he was truly alone in the world. No one left to turn to, not a single shoulder to cry on, nor an embrace to seek warmth and comfort. It was just Tango and his thoughts as he opened his strides, forcing himself forward with tiresome legs that ached from shaking. It felt weird to be heading in the direction of his room, however he believed that was the only place he could feel safe for the time being.

Though in his mind it may be the last warm place to sleep he'd stay in for a while because as far as he was concerned, he no longer had a home. Just a steppingstone with poor foundation that was crumbling beneath his feet, ready to disappear from view at any moment. Once he passed that eventual breaking point, there'd be no turning back.

Tango made it to his bedroom door, where he halted in place. His head panned over to his adopted siblings' door, if that's what he was even going to call her anymore, and saw that it was still closed. A part of him wished she'd been listening in the entire time, but another part was glad she didn't have to bear witness to the horrors of his unforgettable past. The yellow drake didn't want her to have that kind of knowledge about him, especially with how sensitive and personal it was.

So instead he turned back to his door and pushed it open, slipping through its dark opening before gently shutting it behind him. But now the realization of what happened finally hit him as he collapsed on his bed, crying loudly into his pillows as tears soaked the cloth. And his broken heart shattered into many pieces.

He was now alone in a city of thousands.

* * *

 **A/N: I am deeply sorry about holding out on updating the story. It's been a long couple months coming and I beat myself up whenever I don't make my own deadlines. So updates will still be roughly once a month to every two months, gives me an opportunity to develop a quality chapter, such as Chapter 12. But besides that, my beloved yellow dragon is back and sadder than you can possibly imagine. Everyone press F to pay respects.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you all in the next one.**

 **Atlas FF Out!**


	15. Faded Doubts

**Act II : Lost Lineage**

 **Chapter 14**

 **Faded** **Doubts**

* * *

Tango awoke to complete silence in his dimly lit room, the sun mere moments away from peeking up over the distant horizon. A soft morning breeze drifted through the large bedroom window as the lightning drake opened his maw in a gaping yawn. He shivered in his scales, refraining from cowering under the blanket beneath his paws. Instead, opting to wait until the natural warmth of the great ball of fire sun-soaked him in its golden bath.

Yet, he felt frozen in place by the storm that raged within the confinement of his mind.

Tango slowly stood up on all fours, stretching each of his legs, relieving the tension in his muscles, feeling his spine crack soothingly beneath his skin. But he still remained fatigued and worn down, only managing to get a few hours of sleep. This grave misfortune hurt his psyche the most.

Though he knew if falling back asleep was somehow achieved, his dreams would be flooded by nightmares. An evil he wasn't willing to bear if it meant he'd remain weary for a short time.

However, its reason for existence could have been avoided had the young drake not dipped his paws into a history better kept as a secret. It was his curiosity that threw him into the deep end, and now he was paying for it. Even if his past was his rightful possession, it didn't hurt any less to come face to face with it.

It had been three days since the horrid truth of his origin came to light. The questions he demanded to have answered came at a terrible price, and he was surely paying for it in tears and heartache. Each night Tango cried himself to sleep, the pain and misery of that day struck a chord in his heart. And every morning there would be dried tears on his cheeks and salt marks on his pillows.

This morning was no different as he rubbed a paw at his face, cleaning the corners of his eyes slowly with a single claw. He blinked a few times before taking a deep, filling breath, the clean morning air numbing his lungs into a relaxed state. Tipping his head to the side, Tango alleviated the stiffness, silently moaning his pleasure as his bones systematically cracked before yawning once more.

The yellow lightning dragon sluggishly stepped off his bed of cushions and pillows, taking small strides towards the washbasin in the corner of the room. His entire body felt numb, barely touching the steps that each of his paws took; a prickling sensation stung at his scales. It had been a little while since he last left his bed, livelihood kicking into his frazzled limbs.

Though the neglect hadn't just affected his means of walking as his stomach growled its displeasure at him, begging for desired sustenance. He pushed the thought of digging into some juicy, fatty portions of meat while he settled down next to the copper wash basin. Tango dipped the tip of his snout into the surface of the clear water, finding it to be a reasonable enough temperature to let the rest of his head follow. His eyes closed as he held himself under the water, feeling no strain on his suddenly oxygen-deprived lungs.

Being underwater even for that small portion of time cleared his senses, maybe a little too much. The flow of the crystalline water sent whispers to his ears; the Whispering Wilds called out with one of their firm whip-like winds that lashed at his face through the light liquid. It was one of these eerie hallucinations again, or his basin had turned into a swirling tornado. The call of the Wilds remained there nonetheless, holding his attention hostage.

Yet it didn't take long to feel a pressure building in his neck as he pulled up out of the basin, sucking in a breath of air. The lightning drake snatched a washcloth and began to rid his facial scales of moisture. Watching himself firmly in the mirror, ensuring he didn't miss a single droplet. But as he was wiping his cheeks, tears began to roll from his eyes. Tango set the cloth down and began to stare at himself in the mirror, letting the tears flow.

When he hatched from his egg, all he ever wanted was a normal childhood with a family that loved him. It was a long seven years in the woods, barely managing to find the resources to survive each passing day. But miraculously, for as little and inexperienced that he was, he had the courage and will to turn those darkened days into brighter ones. And ten years ago, he thought he had been granted his wish when they found him on the verge of closing his eyes forever.

He was thankful to them for at least giving him the life he deserved and was fortunate enough to have a sibling to grow up with as well. He hadn't held a stronger connection with anyone in his entire life until Avala showed up.

But now looking back at it all, he didn't know if it was all was legitimate or a sad excuse for a stage play.

And learning of his real history felt like carrying the weight of a thousand cities.

The truth was almost too much for him to bear, and he wholeheartedly wished it was just a silly story. But he knew that they were telling him something real and authentic only by the look in their eyes. It was not their goal to deceive him, but to be straightforward and honest. Though he was unable to comprehend why they kept it from him for so many years. And would've kept it a secret until he demanded his answers.

A decision he now regretted as it slowly began to drive a wedge between him and the ones he loved. He couldn't hold hatred towards them for very long, but his trust had been broken, leaving him in a limbo between mending it or pursuing the truth. Either keep living the life he had and slowly rebuild everyone's faith or search for his parents and cut ties with the ones he thought he could call his own.

He had never felt so conflicted about something in his entire life.

Turning away from the mirror, Tango moved back towards his bed, contemplating whether or not to lay his head back down and try to sleep some more. But by now, the sun was well above the horizon, forcing an annoyed grunt out of his throat; he never did find the brightness of the sun pleasant while he slept. Though the smooth, soft texture of the cushions was painfully inviting. A bit of his mind wishing his whole body would go numb, allowing him to indulge in much-needed rest.

But a sudden knocking on the door snapped him out of his trance.

In an instant, Tango whipped around into a defensive stance, his heart rate increased, and his breathing coming in shuddering waves. It was now the fifth time someone had knocked on his door, the mere sound of knuckle against wood put him on edge. Yet, force of habit brought him to the wooden entrance, temptation to answer banging the gates, his paw itched to reach up and latch the handle. But butterflies in his stomach and his cowardice prevented him from doing so.

 _If I just wait it out, whoever it is will get bored and lea-_

"Tango?"

The yellow drake swallowed, instantly familiar with the sound of his older sibling. The distress in her voice was almost heartbreaking, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but his mind was keeping him contained. If she knew everything about him, there would be nothing between the two of them that would prevent him from verbally tearing into her. He didn't want to stoop to such a deep level by breaking something that was already on the brink of shattering.

 _Avala! Don't do this now, please!_

Tango carefully sat down against the wall, being cautious to avoid standing in the sunlight, not wanting to cast a shadow that would be visible below the door. He hoped she didn't see him, preferring to be a ghost hiding his own shadow. However, a tiny voice at the back of his brain was telling him he wasn't as inconspicuous as he thought.

"Please open the door, little brother. I want to see my only sibling," Avala begged, gently tapping on the door. "I know you're hiding next to it. You're not as sneaky as you'd like to believe."

 _Ancestors give me strength!_

He exhaled slowly, feeling a chest-breaking tension build in his ribs almost to the point it hurt to breathe. A chill ran up his entire body, making him momentarily shiver in place. Sucking on his bottom lip, Tango slowly clutched the door handle in his paw, taking a deep breath before tugging the door open. He wasn't sure what to expect in terms of her emotions, knowing she liked to get into his head by faking strong emotions like sadness and anger.

But he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart when he saw her eyes perk up, and a smile crease her lips. In an instant, she had her forearms around his neck, squeezing him in a tight hug. A muffled purr rumbled in her throat as she pressed her head into his neck.

 _She gets me every time…_

"Had me worried for a moment there. I didn't think you were going to open the door." A contentful sigh escaped her muzzle as she let go of him and stared up into his bright blue eyes. "But I'm glad you did because now I don't have to walk to school by myself."

Tango was utterly dumbfounded, quickly realizing that Avala carried no knowledge of the argument between him and his parents. He was sure she had heard his yelling, thinking he had shaken the entire home in his rage. But it brought with it a massive relief that his sister was oblivious.

Although if she was hiding anything from him, she was doing a phenomenal job at it. Not that he was in any mood to tell if she was or not.

"Right, there is school today," Tango mumbled slowly. "Must've slipped my mind."

"I almost forgot about it as well," Avala chuckled. "These last couple of days went by so fast that I think I forgot how to sit back and simply relax. Of course, I was at the nursery all day yesterday… and the day before... And the day before that…"

Tango smirked halfheartedly; his mind sunk in a void pit.

"But in the end, they were all good days. A lot of hours spent chasing, snuggling, bathing, and playing with dragonlings. But all those moments reminded me of when you and Tess got to meet for the first time. The happiest recent moment I've had at the nursery."

"It really was something else," Tango whispered, his lip quivered in a faint smile, though he quickly hid it.

 _I miss that little 'ness! At least she wouldn't hide critical information from me. Except for maybe the location of some hidden sweets…_ He chuckled to himself, knowing that the devious little dragoness probably did have a secret stash somewhere.

He turned back into his room, leaving the door open as he went to retrieve his belongings and other necessities for the day. His eyes darted all over the place, looking for his satchel with all his study materials to pull through this day, quickly finding it leaning against the shelves in the back-left corner of the room. He did a quick check to ensure he wasn't missing anything - not that he necessarily cared - and slung it across his neck. It took all of a few moments to adjust himself and give a quick examination of his scales in the mirror, finding that he was not in mint condition, but satisfactory enough to get through to the evening.

"While we're young, Tango," Avala teased playfully. "I'd like to make it there before my next hatch day, preferably."

"Sorry that I just woke up," Tango whispered with annoyance, grinning at himself in the mirror, finding his fangs were as white as ever.

That's when the thought of how he was going to leave the house dawned on him. If his parents were awake and roaming the home, he'd inevitably run into them, which would likely resort to some form of a conflict or argument. Though he imagined it'd be a pathetic attempt of begging for forgiveness and mercy on their part, not something he was likely to grant willingly. However, a scene that dramatic would entice a response out of Avala, giving her the suspicion that something was terribly wrong between her brother and her parents.

Something Tango was not going to allow as long as there was a spark in his chest.

"Avala?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna stretch our wings… maybe fly to school?"

 _And any reason to avoid potentially bumping into Mom and Dad…_

"I actually wouldn't mind that at all," Avala said, poking her head through the door. "But we should probably catch a quick bite if we want to survive the first couple of classes. I think there is some leftover venison from last night if that sounds good to you."

Tango felt his stomach grumble at the thought of chowing down on some delicious venison, though it brought with it the potential of laying eyes upon either purple or black scales. He didn't know how he was going to possibly handle a mere confrontation days after they spilled their guts to him, but his hunger and instincts were dragging him out of the room. Too many negative feelings ran coursed through his veins that he wasn't allowing desire to join them that easily.

"I could go for some venison," Tango agreed, though he wished he'd just leaped through his window while he had the chance. "Didn't get a chance to have some last night sadly."

"For obvious reasons," He said to himself.

"Now that you mention it, where were you last night?" Avala asked curiously, giving him an intent and peculiar look. "Mom and Dad were pretty quiet when I asked them about you. I swear I've never seen the dinner table so dead before, it literally felt like I was dining with two statues. It was kind of weird if I'm honest."

He felt a slight tinge of guilt in his heart, hearing this from his sister, knowing he was the main culprit for their abnormal behavior. But the yellow scaled dragon quickly reminded himself that it was never his fault in the first place, granted he could have reacted a bit better to the situation. Although he couldn't think of how that reaction would've gone otherwise; likely he'd still hold a high level of anger and maybe a bit of a grudge.

Tango shrugged it off, waving a paw across his chest as he exited his room with his satchel around his neck. He slowly shut his bedroom door, barely hearing the click of the metal latch as it secured into place. He figured she wouldn't be too worried about him hanging out with friends, even though that was a blatant lie in itself.

 _Maybe she won't question it too much?_

"I was out late roaming the streets, ran into some friends along the way. Kind of… hung out with them and broke off when we hit the city center," Tango lied, pretending as if it weren't a big deal. "Nothing extraordinary happened besides the occasional drunkard here and there. But who doesn't see a few of those dolts now and then?"

Hopefully, Avala wouldn't see through his deception and begin breaking down the many walls he was hastily trying to assemble. The more the merrier, but if she started looking between the cracks and getting hints that he was lying to her face, he'd have to pray that they would hold against her relentlessness. Though the look on her muzzle let him relax slightly.

"Very well," Avala sighed, picking at her claws with disinterest. "I was just curious. Been a while since all four of us sat around the dinner table as a family. I wish we could have more days like that, where we don't have to worry about jobs or other people. Just a fun day for just the four of us!"

 _If only she could see why that is a terrible idea..._

"It's hard when everyone is busy all the time," Tango said, tilting his head down the hallway as they started to walk side by side. "Kind of sucks growing up when you really think about it. I can't find much time to spend moments with those… that you love."

"The best part about being a little kid was having no priorities," Avala added. "Could run around all day and play with your friends. Those were the days, but we do have to grow up at some point. I'd live that over and over again if I could."

"Me too," Tango agreed, nudging her shoulder. "Now let's go get that venison. All this small talk is making me feel more and more famished."

Avala chuckled as she gently picked up the pace, her shorter legs surprisingly gaining much more ground than his. She smiled as he put more effort into his strides, casting her a glare with a roll of his eyes, briefly flashing a grin. But he eventually matched her pace as they descended the stairs toward the kitchen. They exchanged a few words, but none of it took off into full-blown conversation.

As they neared the arched entrance of the kitchen, a strong and fragrant aroma filled his nose. He could see that Avala smelt it too, her eyes perking up at the smell of roasting flesh. The siblings traded a confused stare, knowing that neither of them had been cooking. Avala jumped ahead of her brother, hugging the wall as she crept up to the kitchen entrance. Peeking her head around the corner, she immediately stood up and looked over her shoulder at Tango.

"Its Mom," Avala whispered. "She's cooking right now."

Tango's stomach lurched, feeling the bile rise to the back of his throat. He dared himself not to peek around the corner, wanting to just take his sibling's word and not have to lay his eyes upon Cynder's jet black scales. But temptation urged him forward as he moved around Avala to look past her. Sure enough, standing with her back to the entrance tending to the venison was Cynder.

But he kept his tongue and just observed.

The larger black dragoness hunched over the fire, slowly turning it to evenly sear the meat to a vibrant brown color. Cynder barely made a noise, the only sounds around being her light breathing and the crackling of the piping hot flames. A small wooden bowl sat off to the side, to which she occasionally withdrew a brush to lather on a coat of seasoning.

"Looks like she's almost done too…," Avala said as she walked through the entrance, ditching her sibling in the process. Surprisingly enough, she didn't notice he had stayed back in the door as she called out to her mother. "Morning, Mom!"

Cynder perked at the sound of her daughter, casting a long glance over her shoulder. She smirked as her ice dragoness look-alike padded towards her. "Morning, sweet pea. How'd you sleep?"

Avala took a seat beside her mother, looking up into her emerald green eyes. "I slept, alright. How about you?"

Cynder hummed. "Could've been worse. Been a bit restless these last few nights. Your father's been down with a cold, so I've been tending to him as well. Can't sleep when he snores like a pig." Avala snickered.

Tango scoffed at the news, barely showing enough sympathy for his sick father. Not like he deserves to be in better health after being nothing but a liar and a fraud for over ten years!

"Is he going to be okay?" Avala asked, her voice slightly worried.

"He'll be alright," Cynder reassured calmly. "His cold is nothing more than a runny nose and sore throat. He just needs some more time to rest." The black dragoness eyed the room for the other sibling, a lump sunk in her stomach upon realizing only one half of the duo was around. "Have you seen your brother?"

"Yeah, he's right...," Avala said as she turned to her side, finding Tango was not with her. "... here. I was just talking to him a second ago. We walked down here together." She looked to the archway, hoping to see him standing there.

"Tango?"

Tango had already ducked his head back behind the wall, obscuring his body from his sister's vision, but the chronic impulse to answer her call fought back. So, much to his discontent, he slowly shifted back to the edge of the arch, barely exposing himself as he peered at Cynder and Avala. He froze in place, shrinking from the weight of their alienated stares.

Instantly, he saw the sadness in his mother's eyes and the confusion in his sister's. The yellow drake suppressed the growl building in his throat, his eyes glared daggers into her scales; his look matched that of a serial killer. But his anger towards Cynder brought a pang of sadness, tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. It was almost like he was being told the truth again without her even saying anything. All the lies and dishonesty over the last decade were a glass mask that had just shattered, and now he was stepping on the broken shards, tripping over them and bleeding.

Without hesitating, Tango turned away from the two dragonesses and dove from the landing platform. He glided to the front door, hoping to reach it before his mother intervened and tried to stop him; although he had a feeling, she wasn't going to attempt to pursue him. Yet, his thoughts had a nasty and sinister way of turning against him in the worst of times because as his paws reached for the door latch, a dark shadow cast itself over him.

Spinning around with quick haste, Tango found himself face to face with the shadow dragoness herself. Her pleading emerald orbs stared at him through half-closed lids, silently begging him to talk to her, hoping to amend some of her mistakes. However, the yellow drake wasn't hoping for such a conversation to occur until either he felt the time was right or when he was dead; whichever came first.

"Tango ...wait," Cynder quietly pleaded. "You must understand why we kept your past from you."

Tango bared his fangs as streams of tears cascaded like an avalanche down his cheeks. "You chose to save your own scales because you knew that me knowing the truth about my birth parents would have broken us apart as a family. Tell me, I'm wrong!"

"It goes beyond breaking our family apart," Cynder answered. "We did it to protect you from things that your father and I can't even begin to explain."

"He is not my father," Tango growled. "Spyro is a liar and a fraud. If it had been your way, you both would have taken my given right to the grave with you…"

"Taken what to the grave?"

Cynder looked over her shoulder as Tango peered past her slim frame, his heart sinking at the sight of his sister. Avala's muzzle was all sorts of confused, her gaze shifting rapidly from parent to sibling and back again hoping to receive an answer. Her merely being in their presence as things were starting to get heated made the situation itself an even bigger headache. He didn't want Avala to know the truth, but then again, it would be the perfect opportunity to get back at the ones he called parents.

"Go ahead, _mom_! Answer my _sibling's_ question!" Tango jeered, glaring at the black dragoness. "Tell her the truth about me, _my parents_ …. In fact, let her know the entire truth while you're at it. Can't have any secrets in this house anymore, can we?"

"Mom… what's he talking about?" Avala sounded perplexed and a bit scared. Not often did she find her family arguing. "What truth does he want me to know?"

Cynder clamped her eyes shut as she sighed her heartbreaking defeat, ignoring her daughter. "You're turning on those that care about you most and moving down a dark path that I too once ventured down. But I hope in the end when this is all over, you look back on this moment and be reminded that the truth may never always set you free."

"It set me free from all of the lies and deception. I know now that you can't always trust those that seem the most trustworthy. Peek through their curtains and find out what you must about them. It took me ten years to realize that."

"Ten years that I wouldn't change," Cynder mumbled. "Because at the end of the day, we all still love you more than anything. Your father loves you; your sister loves you, and I love you. Had you received the truth, your truth, it would've only ruined your childhood. You were free then; it is now that you have locked yourself behind bars."

Tango scoffed at her words and wasted no time turning to the front door and pulling it open, casting an unremorseful glance at Cynder and Avala before walking through, slamming it shut behind him. It felt partially relieving to get some pent-up frustration off his chest as he sucked in a massive gulp of air. It felt nice to breathe in the morning air, though the circumstances proved it to be a chore. The morning had gone in a completely opposite direction, a path he had hoped to avoid. Instead, it only seemed to make the whole situation worse.

And soon, Avala will know the truth about who I really am…

That thought alone left a sinking feeling in his soul, knowing that she would likely look at him differently or avoid him altogether. He had to put his mind somewhere else for a moment to allow himself to assess all that had occurred these last few days. Tango wasn't sure if he was ready for that kind of separation from his only sibling; though he didn't know why he still considered her a sibling given all that had been revealed to him. So, shaking the prospect of losing her too, Tango pulled himself together as best he could before setting out for the academy building.

 _Today is going to be a long day!_

* * *

Tango carelessly paced the halls of the academy as he waited for the final bell to ring. It felt like with each step, his irritability grew as his patience wore thin. He didn't feel ready to sit in a chair and endure a lecture from Professor Aurian, let alone a talk from any of his teachers. His mind was running circles around his head, adding to his growing irritation.

 _This was a terrible idea!_

By now, he was close to doing his second lap around the entire school, following the outermost hallways using the entrance of his first-class as his starting point. It was a relatively long path though it also took him through some of the more congregated areas of the school; places the young drake hoped to avoid. He carried a solemn face, showing no anger or happiness towards any passing student or anyone that walked in his path.

The opinions of strangers, especially ones his age, barely lit up his interest. He would rather walk through a hundred of young dragons than a particular trio with whom he shared a home. But it was the things that he overheard that mentally sent him over the edge. And being an adopted child of the world's saviors only made it worse.

Their whispers and small talk that carried his name drifted into his passing ears, making his scales feel hot and uncomfortable. However, the mumbled topics were not new to him, but to Tango, they seemed to carry a whole different meaning, like what he had grown to believe as truth was actually concealed as a lie. The yellow drake wasn't sure what to think anymore, even the facts he was sure were right.

He paused in his tracks to massage his head, feeling a throbbing sensation against the inside of his forehead. It was an unpleasant feeling that began to spread throughout his skull, thankfully it wasn't painful. Shaking his head, Tango quickly scanned for an exit as more and more eyes started to observe his slight discomfort. Luckily enough, there was a large courtyard close to him, giving him some relief as he walked onto it, finding he shared it with no one but himself.

Tango held his head high as he slowly breathed in a deep wave of air, feeling the stress seep out of his legs and feet. The way the grass felt between his toes, how the leaves of the trees brushed against one another, or how the sun split it shine clean down the middle of the courtyard. Nothing around him felt real anymore like it had been pulled straight from a child's bedtime story.

Like life was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

The lightning drake shifted over to a large apple tree with its flowers in full bloom. In a few more months, the buds would swell and produce ripe, red apples for Tango and other fruit-loving individuals to enjoy. But for now, all he could do was lie down on his back and inhale the sweet scent of the white petals that instantly made him feel relaxed. The weight of the morning finally ridding itself from his body.

Though he couldn't bring his mind to produce a single peaceful thought.

It seemed like all he could think about was the confrontation with his parents, reminiscing every second that passed on that morning. Tango knew it could have gone way better than it did, but he allowed his emotions to drive him down the wrong path. It was mainly his anger that he let get out of control, snapping at Cynder, who he knew wanted nothing more than to rebuild their bridge. But his frustrations and broken trust sent it up into more prominent and more destructive flames.

"What am I going to do?" Tango asked himself, his voice hopeless and yearning for an answer.

He sought guidance in the patterns of an apple tree's flower petals, a hopeful omen as he had once read in his literary studies. But all he could see were white petals, and entire flowers break from their limbs and float down to settle on his chest and belly scales. His muzzle suppressed a growl as he aggressively swiped them from his body, rolling over to stand on all fours.

It seemed that places where he felt comfortable and at peace were now contaminated by the sour fruits of his own mind. Sighing pitifully, Tango dropped his head and turned for the exit, halting momentarily at the sound of the final warning bell ringing in the hallways. The entrance to the hall immediately came alive with students as they frantically collected themselves and trotted to their first class.

Tango was in no such rush as he patiently waited for a lane to open, finding one immediately between an earth dragoness and an ice drake. He followed the crowd through the school, watching colorful bodies break off from the leading group and into their classrooms. His ears attuned to their conversations, hearing several giggles and the occasional sly remark and the sound of a paw colliding with one's cheek; most usually followed close with a shocked yelp.

He had seen his fair share of these incidents secondhand, rarely ever being a victim of them. Learning quickly had its benefits outside of the classroom and workplace. But somehow, it took him a little longer when it came to interacting with females, especially one in particular. The one that caught his eye over two years ago after rescuing him from his father's famous ice prank; a memory that despite the circumstances, Tango cherished.

Because that's when he first got to meet Kyza.

He smirked at the thought of her calling him a moron the first time they met and when she used the broad side of her tail blade to whack him upside the head. She left a large bump on his head that lasted for over a week, made him look like he had a sixth horn growing out the side of his face. The fire dragoness formally apologized to him after a while, expecting them both to move on and forget it never happened.

But in those few moments, they looked into each other's eyes and realized that it was not only just the beginning of friendship but potentially a life-changing relationship.

As he remembered their first kiss under a pale moonlight on a warm summer night, Tango passed through the center of the main hall, his class within eyesight. He casually looked down the hall, seeing the colossal statue of the former Fire Guardian Ignitus in all its red stone glory. A powerful shiver moving his scales, making him look away, only to catch himself staring into a beautiful pair of violet eyes.

All Tango could do was shudder a breath as he continued to stare at her, his face in a cold, emotionless shock. It had been so long since he last saw her; it almost seemed like an eternity. His mouth could find no words, but his heartfelt warm and fuzzy. At least his eyes could feast upon her beauty. But as he reconnected with her eyes, he saw the sudden fire blazing in her pupils, quite possibly a new use of her element.

Either that or she was fuming with anger!

A small puff of smoke escaped her flaring nostrils as a deep growl brewed in her throat. The warmth that Tango had felt in his heart was slowly melting at the heat radiating off her body. Kyza was definitely angry with him.

"You don't look too happy to see me," Tango said, his mouth slightly smirking. "Kind of expected a different reaction."

"You've got some nerve trying to make a joke while I am clearly upset with you," Kyza growled at him. "And here you are, a whole month later, like something the cat just dragged in."

Tango's cheeks flushed from surprise and shame. She hadn't even slapped him, and he already felt the heat on his scales.

"That's not fair," Tango muttered. "You knew I was dealing with personal issues."

"You don't get to talk to me about fairness," she snapped.

"Kyza… Tone it down a little, please." He begged while making himself as small as possible to avoid a scene. His eyes saw the few other students taking notice.

She narrowed her eyes like a serpent targeting its victim. "You've changed since I last saw you… I can tell by the tone of your voice."

He shivered in his own skin. Not the ideal reunion he had been hoping for, but his heart was fluttering at the sight of Kyza. Though, the drake wasn't sure her mind was following the same bread crumbs as his own.

"The paleness of the scales on your forehead." She ranted on. He could only shrink further.

"Somewhere private, at least?" It was really futile.

"And the shaky posture. What's your deal Tango?" She spat accusingly.

Tango didn't think clearly in his panic, more loss would break his spirit. He snatched her by the leg and tugged her away from the crowd. A hot sweat ran down the back of his neck as he pulled his girlfriend aside, realizing that this wasn't a pleasant sight to witness.

"What the… Hey!"

The fire dragoness didn't even try to resist, for she had a trust that wouldn't show up on the surface but reigned strong within her. Besides, she was tough for her size and wouldn't let anyone easily drag her away without good reason. Though the sudden grabbing of her wrist was a bit alarming, to say the least.

Tango guided Kyza out to the garden without so much of a word between them, leaving a burning question floating at the back of his mind. What was possibly going through his girlfriend's head? He didn't get a moment to think of the answer before he was abruptly shoved behind the bushy vegetation of the academy's garden.

A sign stating boldly _"DO NOT TRAMPLE THE GRASS"_ was completely ignored.

"Ah, we're breaking the rules now?" He snarkily commented, flashing a grin as he dusted a few blades of grass from his scales.

"Should've thought about what you broke first." She huffed in response, standing over him with a glare in her eye. "Start talking… right now!"

The tears building in her gorgeous violet eyes saddened Tango to the point he was on the verge of shedding a few of his own. A part of him knew that they might reunite in an undesired matter as much as he hoped to prevent it, but his actions had dire consequences. Now he was forced to spill his guts to her and try to make amends for his absence.

"I never meant to hurt you, Kyza," Tango said softly, rubbing his face. "Life hasn't been fair to me lately."

"And this is? That gives you the right to up and disappear for weeks, leaving me worried sick about you? Is that fair?" Kyza argued.

"I just couldn't bring myself back to your loving embrace until I found peace in my soul. You remember, right?" Tango questioned gently. "You made me promise you….

Kyza nodded, her lips trembling, and tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"I just didn't think it would be this long," she said, lowering herself to lay on his chest. "Not seeing you in the halls or in class has been…. it's…. it's been so hard without you."

Tango instinctively wrapped his forelegs around Kyza and squeezed tightly as she began to sob into his chest. He rolled them both onto their side, gently nuzzling her face and stroking the smooth scales on the back of her neck.

"You didn't deserve to feel this kind of heartbreak, Kyza," Tango reassured. "Never in a million years would I go out of my way to intentionally hurt you. But if it's any consolation to you, I kept that promise."

Kyza sniffed her nose. "I always knew that you would. I just wish that I could have helped in some way."

"You've helped in more ways than you know." Tango cupped her head in his paw, wiping away her tears. "You set me on the right path, and you've been in my thoughts every day and made my dreams better each night."

She grabbed the wrist and stared him dead in the eye, through her own puffy orbs. There was a plea in her contorted features. "Don't be a stranger… Is there someone you trust more?"

Tango bit his lip, the obvious answer would be a short and sweet "yes," but instead of spitting it out immediately, he choked… Was he second-guessing his love?

"Would I ever betray you?" She asked a different question, with the same anticipation. Unknowingly, she was squeezing his shoulder with intensity, bruising him lightly. She squinted her eyes in fear.

He honestly had no clue, nothing seemed inevitable after he found out his past. If his parents, the most trustworthy beings in the Realms, a pair of heroes, could back stab him for 10 whole years, twisting the knife more profound and more in-depth, then Kyza could do it too.

She wouldn't though, she was Kyza of all people. She had never hinted at betrayal.

Then again, so did his parents…

"You wouldn't love it… I got butterflies in my stomach." He answered hesitantly.

She caressed his belly and perched her head on the bruised shoulder, all her agony had vented on it. "We can skip the first hour, I haven't seen you in some time, and I want to enjoy it."

They both giggled and leaned on each other, Kyza crooned under the cover of his wing.

"HEY! Why are you damn kids stepping on the freshly cut grass?" The Academy gardener, a wrinkled, hunched mole, yelled at them and flailed his hands.

"Crap… Let's find our lost love elsewhere." He laughed slightly and pulled at her.

She followed suit, giddily smiling as they legged it to avoid the wrath of the mole waving his gardening tools furiously.

Tango's day just got a whole lot brighter.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, two and a half months and no updates later, I finally have blessed you all with a new chapter. With writers block being annoying as ever and constantly training for eleven straight weeks left me with little to no time for writing. I would apologize but I know how empty and pointless that will sound seeing as though factors were all out of my control.**

 **Anyway, I have to give lots of credit to my beta reader, TheDragonPhylakas, for getting me back on track. Without him, I wouldn't be posting this chapter for quite a while. Give him some love and check out his two Spyro stories.**

 **Expect another update around late November to early December. I keep my profile page constantly updated with chapter progress as well as my Discord Username.**

 **Appreciate the patience and love. God bless and take care.**

 **Atlas Out!**


	16. Discipline by Exploration

**Act II : Lost Lineage**

 **Chapter 15**

 **Discipline by** **Exploration**

* * *

The imposing bell tower cast its shadow upon the main building of the Warfang Academy, a thunderous toll issued precisely at the end of another school day. The hardy mole smacked the side of the bronze contraption at the very top with a large baton, twice his size.

The bell flung back and forth, and each massive ring sent a wave of relief to each dragon who poured out of the main hall and into the gardens like Warfang's army once did out of the main gates. Albeit they were cheerier and less rugged and bloodied, the usual bunch of teens and young adults enjoying the ripe fruits sowed by their predecessors.

While for some, this day of learning and socializing had come to an end, it merely started for one particular lucky dragon. Tango popped out of a corner and into the Great Hall of the Academy. He scanned the crowd in search of his missing jewel, the pace at which they moved matched a worm's. He irritably tapped the marble mosaic floor until he spotted his drive being left behind by the hurrying students. Silently, he retreated from where he came from, winking at her as he vanished. They couldn't just be seen waddling off into an empty school holding paws.

Kyza stuck her tongue out, and after waiting a few seconds to let the poor dragon put some distance between them before she pursued him, she pushed through the line of colorful bodies who groaned and glanced angrily at her.

"What's your deal?" One asked as she smacked his foreleg with her tail accidentally. Before he regained his bearings, the mad dragon was pushed forward by his annoyed classmates.

Kyza had effectively caused a domino effect, as stacks of unfortunate dragons piled at the gate, crashing into each other in their hurry to escape the school's confines and roam freely. It was a traffic jam all in all.

Tango legged it towards the opposite direction of the groaning and cursing mess of dragons, while Kyza whispered apologies and half-hearted excuses just so she could make it out of the crowd in one piece.

He glanced back once to his amusement, seeing his love goofily stumble over a sprawled first year. She mumbled guiltily and rushed away from the students, whose march to freedom had been rudely interrupted by only one lovesick dragoness.

Her gleaming face, when she saw him rush the other way, betrayed her lack of remorse. It was worth it for her; she wasn't very thoughtful of others when it came to her Tango.

She kept tailing him, discreetly, as they waddled away from the ruckus and towards the desolate halls of their academy despite their learning trip having ended about fifteen minutes ago for the day.

She chased the trident-tip, but he was much faster. Must've been the electricity dragon genes that gave him the extra boost.

As the jumbled conversations of students faded out, only the echoing padding of her paws was heard. And Tango's… She couldn't hear him anymore, though.

She stopped dead in her tracks at the meeting point of two halls, each one lined with anaglyph figures of draconic individuals and other peculiarities. It was emptier than ever before, and she could now sense the incredibly judging stares of each artistic presentation. The walls were hosting a continuous stream of anaglyphs, even at the corners and imposing doorways. The anaglyph was one comprehensive, lifeless picture.

But their eyes seemed so real!

She never took a moment to ask what story is supposed to be told on this wall, and she had no one to ask. Especially since the love of her life had up and vanished around a corner.

So now, she was stuck in the middle of a crossroad with no exit as the school was probably emptied and locked up. And of course, … without Tango!

She shifted her weight from side to side and looked around, even sniffed the air. Nothing!

"Tango! Where are you? You didn't dump me out of the blue, right?" Of course, he wouldn't dump her. He wasn't daft, was he?

Her worry was just voiced out loud, and she often did that when she was alone. Tango had brought her heart to experience all sorts of new and exciting emotions, but he never let her feel alone.

They were planning to occupy the natural science lab, where barely anyone set foot that week after the notorious frogweed accident. She stiffened a laugh, merely remembering a glimpse of the chaos that ensued then.

The lab was thoroughly cleaned up and restored to the near-mint state. However, the images couldn't be torn off the students' memories.

She mentally scolded herself for entertaining her lonely mind at the pain of her unfortunate classmates. But the circumstances demanded her to shake off the worry, or she'd lose it right then and there. Maybe some dragonesses love to see the world burn.

She poked her head around every corner before crossing a hall, making her way to the lab. Her senses alerted to anything that spelled Tango's presence. He was extremely pushy these last few days with his constant cries for help, and now he had switched over to this tactic!

She ever so slightly tapped her toes on the marble upon seeing the lab doorway, with a circular, eye-pleasing, engraved frame that welcomed anyone through it. She couldn't explain why she acted stealthily; she was just tense.

She peeked her head through the door, nudging it open with a snout. The room was as she remembered it the first time she entered.

Not a complete dump despite the frogweed incident.

It was a spacious area, with tanks brimming full of life. Plants and marine species made up the majority of the study subjects there. The room itself was more of an ingrown garden, with spiraling trees launching their thick leaves and heavy branches towards the skylight. It was scenery to feast your eyes upon, despite the environment being magically restrained and not left to take over, which would establish an emergency state for the school.

As per every classroom, rows of cushions for the lucky students were neatly flopped on the floor and away from the plants and containers. If it weren't for the academy's reputable fame, one would assume students came here to slack off.

She slipped inside with bulging eyes like a salamander, always aware of signs of other occupants of the class. It was odd to see this space where nature and magic intertwined with each other, so devoid of draconic presence. She never arrived at classes early; Tango was partially responsible for that.

They'd grasp every opportunity to skip their monotonous routines, and it affected her studies, she couldn't lie to herself. Even if she could go back after all of these revelations and lies she had spouted to her family, she'd still choose him of all dragons. The pros outweigh the cons by a large margin, and there was no denying that.

Even the cons, the supposed "negative" aspects of Tango blew past her; they attracted her. She had never felt so connected to him before, especially after the painful break-in their meetings. His horrid past only interested her more than ever before, to the point she'd feel like a completely selfish jerk. Her fascination intrigued and yet disgusted her all within the same sphere of thoughts.

She needed him close now, to reassure herself that she wasn't failing him if only the fool would show up! Boys can be petty jerks too.

After that brief spurt of energy, their playful tag chase across the school, she was out of breath. Kyza flopped face first on one of the cushions, immediately consumed by the fluffy monster of a pillow. She groaned heavily into it and smacked her fists on the floor, before tucking her paws in for extra comfort. Despite this specific classroom being open to the elements, the shade of the giant tree's leafy branches would suffice for a spent dragoness like her.

"Wow… This pillow is almost as good at keeping me safe and comfy as you Tango." She voiced out her displeasure to no one in particular and huffed after a few seconds, mumbling afterward, "That was a cue for you to show up love."

The dark shade and thick vegetation obscured the cocooned figure grasping the splintering wood with shaky claws. His dark wings hid him just as well as his still, noiseless posture. As much as he hated his guts now, Spyro had taught him the art of stealth and climbing well, how to balance his mass properly, without leaning and do so without snapping fragile surfaces, alerting threats to him.

He used to climb a lot in his early days, but without anyone around to show him, it was mostly an endless series of trial and error. His attempts to reach the haven of a tall tree, and yield its fruity prizes ended in cries of agony and bruises.

The longer he stayed concealed on this tree, tricking Kyza into a false sense of loneliness to further his ingenious plan, the more his mind traveled to those he despised, to his boiling rage.

It was time to step into the light.

He hung from the edge of the branch and slid down from the bristling vines of the ancient tree. He tightened his grip on it just as he was about to land on her and cause an accident. Hanging upside down like a spider stalking for poor flies to feast on, he felt incredibly proud that Kyza hadn't caught a whiff of him. Maybe he gave his skills too much praise, as she was too busy fiddling with her claws to pay attention anymore.

He wasn't a big fan of scaring Kyza, but she was too oblivious to let the opportunity float away. Thankfully, there were cushions all around her, and he had just the idea.

It was the execution part, where he lacked anatomical and analytical knowledge to perform well.

With a poorly timed leap and a complete disregard for aerodynamics and the pull of gravity, he plummeted like a ripe fruit to the cushiony pile, precisely next to his lover. A girly yelp escaped his mouth when he finally smashed into a squishy cushion that exploded under his weight, with feathers that were previously stored in it flying in every direction, including Kyza's snout.

Tango shook in his position as the cushion slowly deflated, and he was laying a good few heads below her with a flushed expression. The feathery Kyza barely showed a hint of emotion at his amusing entrance.

"All this build-up just to greet me in style. You're trying way too hard, darling." She swiped her claw dismissively.

After he regained his bearings, Tango spoke up with a choked voice. "The intent was to scare you, but instead you turned into the Realm's first dragon-avian hybrid." He flashed her a smug grin.

Kyza brought a paw to her snout, faking shock. She stared at her daredevil doofus, and he returned the stare to his fluff coated angel. They were both heartily laughing within seconds, almost tearing up at how silly they would seem to an outsider, drunk from their lovesick state.

"You should've heard your screech! You sounded like your sis." She poked his side and giggled, feathers floating off her leg.

He bit his lip, and instead of falling for her petty jabs, he jumped her with a light pounce, cradling her on top of the cushion that fit easily three dragons their size. "Take that back, or I'll make you yelp." He seized her paws and lay on her to trap the beaming 'ness.

"N-nev… ACHOO!" Her sneeze was, by all means, as wholesome as it gets. A rogue, pesky feather was seated on her nose and caused the poor Kyza to erupt into a sneezing fit, clenching her expression into a sour canvas. She sneezed again over his shoulder, which was the most beautiful sound she had ever made to his ears. An echoing, short, and sweet chirp with a high pitch befitting of her feminine nature.

He "plucked" the feather off her nose and teased her with it. "Is that mean feather torturing you? I should use it as a bargaining chip." He stretched his paw away as she tried to swat it with her own, then dove under her chin and tickled her with his snout.

"No… Stooop… achoo!" She sneezed again and threw her head back, completely embarrassed and yet oddly fuzzy. The cure to her loneliness literally just fell from the sky in a crude unorthodox way. It was unlike the entrance of a trained, confident, and bold knight that jumps into a hoard of monsters to fight the odds instead of a pile of… cushions.

It made her feel safe; nonetheless, how could she dare assume he ditched her even for a moment there? She didn't admit, but he had scared her genuinely, because of his sudden absence.

"That… tickles!" She couldn't do much due to the dense muscle cuddling her into the puffy pillow, apart from nuzzling the yellow forehead with her chin and letting him show his love.

Despite his prankster attitude, he was surprisingly gentle when all jokes were shoved aside, he halted his affectionate kisses and nuzzles to peck her cheek playfully. The jolting action tensed her up, and she squeezed his paw firmly, prompted to pull him tighter against her and embrace the safety. All his pain, his rapid heartbeat, his sorrow was hers for a moment.

She brought a paw over the long-gone gash on his flank, a mere scar that signified that the past is far away, yet the mental hurt underneath the scar is still burning hot. She patted it and spread her toes to explore more of his slim back, tracing her claws along the backbone.

"What are you doing back there? You haven't already grown tired of the same ol' me?" He nudged her cheek with his tongue, then blew a raspberry into her nose. She was a quick predator though and caught his lower lip in her fangs, maintaining a savvy grin. She pulled him in closer to her maw and applied an intense kiss, locking lips with him. He could only oblige to his cherub, leaning in until they both sank into the puffy feathery cloud of delight.

He couldn't imagine breaking the kiss, afraid that her being was too dainty, too delicate, and halting the kiss would make her melt or fall apart. He went on with it, despite the lack of breath left in him.

She couldn't stop fiddling with his muscles, that she massaged and touched blindly to feel how they bulged and how malleable they were. The shoulders were a real charm to her caressing paws, buff, and protective — perfect guards to shield their love from the world.

Their kiss was a seal, as they both shared their collective pain, officially devoting oneself to your other half was less about mating ceremonies to Tango and more about sharing everything, even without speech. He peeked at her gaze for a moment; she was waiting for him to open his eyes during their kiss. They nodded and broke it simultaneously, after a mutual agreement. The yellow dragon, with a sweaty forehead and puffed, flushed cheeks, immediately planted a smooch on her lip again.

She purred into his chest, perkily preening his scales on that spot. She traces his muscles up to the veiny throat. It was her turn to take the initiative. She nipped him, with her tittering gnawing fangs. The sting caused him to whine croakily fight her nose with his snout in some fight for dominance. In an unexpected turn of events, she nipped his cheek again… He growled, but the amusement hidden in his voice was evident.

"My berry getting all excited there." He commented on her antagonizing spirit.

She chuffed, never halting her assault on his neck and chin with wet kisses and love bites on tender flesh. While she was engrossed in his attractive form, he snaked his tail tip on the cushion and tracked her hind paw. He coiled the thick limb around her ankle and used the tip to tease her pad, earning a merry squeak from her. He tickled her toes and laughed, sticking his tongue out to taunt the drakaina with a blessed lick on her snout.

"Tango… you are spoiling me." She whimpered and mollycoddled his honey scales, making herself as small as a scaly ball as possible to fit in his embrace.

He stared stoically at his curled-up berry, tucking her between his paws and hushing her. This time with Kyza was a sacred moment for him. Years of love blossomed into this relationship, and yet they still had very few private moments like this when they could just appreciate each other. He lost passage of time, but there was no reason to care. They had time to fly out of the roof and return home inconspicuously before school reopened tomorrow.

He lost track of time; he was as vivacious as the first day they slept together. She was a tiny package in his grasp, and she was wholly devoted to him, he felt greed wash over him as he squeezed the soft red rump to transfer his warmth over to her. Everyone had someone dedicated to them entirely; even Avala had Spyro and Cynder. After the recent revelation, he couldn't place them on the same pedestal as Kyza; she truly earned her spot as the most loyal and lovable companion he was blessed with.

Maybe the Ancestors pitied him, so they staged that fateful meeting between them all those years ago, they knew of the betrayal long before he did, they just watched until that point.

"Hey, Kyza… don't sleep on me now." He nudged the drowsy, bubbly 'ness in his paws. The combined cradling and comfy seating pulled her into a sleepy state while he was lost with his reasonings.

He set his paw over her belly and rubbed it, and his tail had retracted from the twitchy hind leg. After sliding over her curvy thigh, it latched onto her appendage, and the two flexible limbs curled together into a knitted pattern. It was a common sight for courted couples during their first night together.

She purred, emitting a high-pitched squeak here and there like a hatchling. He tuned in to her rumbling noises that were reminiscent of lullabies, Kyza sounded audible due to her enjoying a healthy dose of tummy rubs. He knew just about every one of her ticks and weaknesses to provide comfort and a sense of indulgence.

Tango sniffed all over her contorted facial expressions, like the curious dragon he was. His warm exhales sent shivers all over her abdomen, her spine arching to a tense, locked state and then relaxing once more, returning to purring and enjoying the serenity of their huddled state.

He sniffled again; each time he smelled her; he was surprised that her air never matched her opulent pattern. The pearly whites on her belly were like lavish jewels that he simply had to smother and press to see the outcome. Her fluffy attitude, the amethyst half-open eyes, seduced him.

When he sniffed her, the very definition of happiness filled his nostrils. And it wasn't the smell of female heat, and she wasn't lustful, she just wished for comfort. This was her natural smell; she could drag him behind her tail if she wanted to use it as a weapon to lure him into a trap.

Her purring noises halted abruptly when he clutched the center of her belly; thankfully, she wasn't ready for the bearing of eggs.

"Worried, are we?" She clasped his paw with hers, her hind legs crawled further up on the pillow and mingled with his in search for added coziness. As they both lay on their flanks, he shrugged and flashed her a toothy smile.

"No, just eager." Tango stroked the nape of her neck.

She wasn't expecting that kind of answer so early into their youth, then again, this was the noblest and caring male she'd ever met. The only male she had in fact, and she'd never move on from him. If all of the Realms crumbled to ruins, one thing was set in stone, her loyalty.

She leaned in for a second round of bliss. She couldn't have enough of his honeyed lips, both the words and the pleasure that came from them was irreplaceable. Nothing could match the quirky, wanton, even naughty sensation they caused upon her. She gladly fought his lingering tongue with hers, feeling dirty gratification for diving into his maw and getting all frisky.

Tango, on the other paw, had doubts… cursed be his unfamiliarity with mating customs. He was sure that his way was the proper one. He knew it was intimate, and the content was unyielding. It caused uneasiness in areas no other interaction woke up. He knew the same applied to Kyza, not wanting to give himself too much credit, of course, but she seemed to be engulfed in pleasure as much as he was.

Those feral instincts of theirs, the drive to push on and take it up a notch further as both a blessing and a nuisance. They loved each other no matter what, their instincts were less critical than their emotions though. As long as they never split their tongues, this kissing session would keep them in check and happy.

Every time the heat took over their dopamine fueled minds, the common issue overwhelmed Tango. Not only was he sure about his deeds, but he worried about the potential of parenthood. They were thankfully free of the danger for now, but that didn't mean it was far away. Dragons lived long lives, and the passage of time was relative to their perception. As he grew up, he perceived time faster. It all felt like yesterday when he was a scared hatchling left to die. How would he distinguish time another ten years from now?

Parenthood was neigh, he will accept it for Kyza. There's no one else he'd prefer to have by his side then.

She felt the same, he could tell by the intensity of their kiss. She was a fierce bundle; she was the radiant beam in his valley of doubts.

After a struggle for victory, they tore apart from each other, exchanging hungry glances for a falter, a sign of defeat. They were both panting, Kyza's tongue lolled out and licked him across the cheek. She rested once more on his cradling paws, enjoying the softness of his pads.

"We'll call this a draw." He tapped her horn to gain her attention.

"You only say that because you know I'm a better kisser." She snapped at the handsome male.

"I never stated otherwise, but I wouldn't give up without as much effort as you." His response was calm, the yellow forehead connected to hers, along with their booping noses.

Their eyes locked into a limbo state, Kyza saw his irises split into fragments, each one telling a different story. Each piece divided into two more and so on, and they all made up his full picture. That was her Tango, a multitude of broken fragments that, when put together, held the weight of the Realms themselves, through pain and anguish. She was in there too, and he held her higher than anything else.

It split her soul like a double-edged dagger that he put up this tremendous amount of effort to keep up appearances, bottle up his hurt, and still manage to see her. She threw her legs around him and grasped that dizzy head of his dearly.

"We will make up for all the lost years, all of the lies. Just move on, for us and our future child, okay?" Her lustrous pearls pleaded him silently.

He understood her reasoning, and he wanted nothing more than to be free of his bonds. But with all the new information that came to light, he couldn't just quite forgive and forget without a bug in his mind, striking the nerves that hurt the most.

She shook his shoulders, and his muscles had slumped and lost their buoyant rippling. "Promise you will…"

And here were the words of promises again, Kyza really had tied his paws with this one. Only a fool would deny his future to dwell on the past, but scars only fade, they never leave. She couldn't possibly know that. Yet she was adamant about seeing him turn a new page in life.

"I… I promise. For us…" He wrapped his wings around her bonny frame, relieved of any worries. Today he could start off life with a clean slate, free of his past. All it took was Kyza to see that. The answer lay beside him the entire time.

She whined into his shoulder, patting her paws on the powerful waist. She desired one more thing from him, to indeed be free and liberated of the past bonds. She craved the experience that only he could provide, she was an unstoppable force, and he was the immovable wall.

Without further words, he cupped her head into his fidgety paws and savored her lips a third time, overtaken by a numbness that spread to his toes and tail tip. It was that time of the month again. They were isolated from prying eyes and had the whole day ahead of themselves.

She objected naught to the salivated kisses, rubbing her paws across his mighty chest, it boosted his male ego severely without him being vocal about it. He adored nailing these moments between them in the back of his skull, to keep as insurance for the darker uncertain times.

"Holy Ancestors' anathema! Pardon my repulsive choice of words, but what are you two ebullient youths moaning about in these halls of honor and values?" A harsh admonishment greeted them out of nowhere, speaking in a quick, indignant manner.

"Master Volteer! Wh- What are you doing here at this hour?" Tango practically hopped off his seat and left Kyza dumbstruck.

"I serve my duties as an instructor, mentor, guide, and professor to deviant, delinquent, vandals like you! And I may have misplaced my research documents on Marigold Transmutative Pufferfish, which is a scarce and valuable species in sweet water lakes in the vicinity of… why am I explaining this to you? You're the trespasser here!" Tango was genuinely fearful of his master for the first time ever. His male ego had been effectively wounded beyond belief.

"Volteer… Kyza and I were lo-"

"MASTER Guardian Professor Volteer to you, young chap, and I will hear none of your pitiful explanations. The mere fact that you and Miss Whatever-Her-Name-Is had the audacity to break into a sacrilegious space of knowledge to commit blasphemy in front of the Ancestors and extol the execrable culture of physical pleasures under my watch classifies as an infuriating, flagrant and prurient offense! You are hapless Tango, and the last individual I expected this from." He exclaimed without taking a single moment to stop, leaving both young dragons speechless and deeply ashamed.

"I'm… I don't know… sorry… Master." He hung his head low and motioned to Kyza to follow him.

She fearfully trotted over to her apathetic lover, who made no objections to Volteer's accusations. She placed her paw over his and looked at Volteer pleadingly with bulging eyes.

"You are both almost of age, and your parents should be informed of this." He stated seriously.

"NO!" The dread in their cries stung the older dragon's ears, who couldn't quite understand their reasoning.

"You are both clearly in love, to go as far as to seek refuge in the sacred halls of our academy just so you can indulge in whatever atrocious detestable bodily interactions for the sake of liberation from the habitual norm. You are both disgraces to your families, but they should know to prepare you for the courtship rituals as it befits all draconic couples. I'm sure your family will be delighted to hear that you have formed a bond with Spyro's son of all dragons, missy!" He explained as if it were a perfectly normal conversation.

Kyza felt a lump grow in her throat, the pressure was unimaginable, and she sought help from grief-struck Tango to solve this whole messy ordeal. He was known to be Volteer's best student, after all.

"What can we do to stop you, except voice our sincere apologies?" She croaked.

"Why would you hide this?" Volteer raised an eyebrow, devoid of any emotion.

"Because it's our right to not give a damn about others and keep it to ourselves! And the draconic customs mean naught to us!" She shouted. Tango snapped to look at her with quivering lips while Volteer stared appalled.

"She doesn't mean it, sir! Kyza, cut it off…" He tried to hold her back.

"You are both in humongous, unprecedented, and deserved trouble. Out you go now." He whipped the floor with his tail and pointed outside of the door, raising strewn feathers in the air.

Tango knew their little escapade would cost them a lot if he didn't figure out a way to stop the impending exposure of his relationship in the heat of the moment.

As Volteer escorted them to the hallway, Tango looked left and right, utterly defeated. His plans to spend a full day with Kyza, to get that clean slate he desired so severely were foiled. Not only that, but the aftermath of today's fiasco would, at the very least, make him a laughingstock. He didn't want to even think of the worst.

A scandal that would ruin Spyro's reputation and leave the orphan to rot in the streets, especially after their final argument.

He couldn't allow this, and he had to employ the one thing that would make Volteer turn his mind around completely. He spun around and rose on his hind legs, halting their march and causing Volteer to scoff.

"What is it now?" He demanded.

"Master, before you potentially do something, we will all regret I need to reveal why I came here with Kyza today. I have discovered something that may interest you." He shouted clearly, challenging him with pricked eyeballs.

"Do tell then; it won't change my mind anyway." He challenged equally.

"I found the truth about my parents. Spyro himself told me." He had to gather up a lot of courage to muster these words.

Volteer had his good right paw suspended in mid-air. The cynical genius craned his neck forward, eyeing Tango, then he snapped to Kyza, who nodded in agreement, then to Tango again. They all searched each other's expressions for some common ground that would settle this dispute and, most importantly, save the couple's scaly hides.

"Tango, you don't have to do this… Don't bring more suffering to yourself." She tugged at his paw, but he wouldn't budge.

"No, if there's one person who can shed some light on this whole story, it's Volteer. He was present during those events!" He supported his weight on two legs until he realized he wasn't doing much other than waste his energy. Even at full height, he didn't stand a chance against his mentor.

Volteer sat on his haunches. He snorted, there was no way he knew on his own. Despite the animosity he held towards his beloved student, he couldn't help but understand that this behavior would be justified in the case that he got the truth.

"Who are your parents, then?" He asked out of curiosity, with a hint of distaste in his voice.

"Two dragons by the name of Cyrus and Aileen. Spyro himself exiled them nineteen years ago, along with me out of Warfang. You were there, and you know it happened!" He stomped in a fury.

Volteer was speechless, his electric tongue shot out to say something, and then backed up, he stared sternly at Kyza again.

"He's telling the truth, sir. He told me all of it through the depths of his heart, I couldn't leave him alone, and I couldn't tell anyone." She confirmed every one of Tango's statements and faced Volteer with equal might as her lover.

"Silence! Usually, I'm not the one to tell my students to zip it. But I don't want to hear a word from you. This whole situation goes far beyond you young… uh… who are you again?" He asked, biting his lip. It was hard to remember his pupils' names when he was more interested in the subject than the actual class.

"Watch how you talk to her… Master." Tango retorted in a shaky voice, clearly torn between his loyalty to his love and his mentor.

"I said, silence! You must abandon the school grounds immediately, or I'll see to terminating your educational curriculum prematurely!" He pointed a claw at Kyza's snout, then swiped to the end of the hall. "This journey is Tango's…"

"You can't leave me out of this! What are you planning to do to him?" She protested with tears in her eyes.

"Out, NOW!" He got progressively mad, and he no longer was his cheery, perky self.

Tango nudged her, and she couldn't believe her eyes. "For your own good, Kyza."

"My own good? What about us? You made a promise Tango; we're going to be a family! You can't turn back on me now." She wouldn't let go, bruising his wrist.

"And I intend to keep it, just let me close this chapter of my life, please." He caressed her cheek. "Besides, you haven't reached maternal maturity yet; we have time."

"Oh, I have all the time in the world. Let's hope I won't spend it alone." She let go and took off flying inside the hall, charging towards the half-open gate.

"N-no flying in the school premises… Ah, blast it. She's a feisty one you picked Tango." He commented.

Tango stared at him resentfully. "Was all of that necessary?"

"Of course, it was! Do you think you could get away with such an outrageous deviation? While I have a certain favorable incline towards you, in particular, one that you've rightfully earned in fact, you did just a tiny bit undermine all your combined efforts as a student by attempting to court a female within my school silly youngster. Let this be a lesson for us all. What's the lass's name, by the way?" He suggested politely.

"Kyza… It's Kyza." Tango replied, unamused.

"Ah, Lyza, lovely! I probably won't remember it by tomorrow. Anyways, onto the pressing matter, your uncanny… heritage. I had frankly, honestly, sincerely, truly… no idea that they were your parents." He crossed his forepaws and shrugged dismissively.

"What? They never told you. Did Spyro and Cynder mention that to anyone?" One more factor joined the growing list of reasons to hate his adoptive parents. "Did they keep you in the dark?"

"I immediately recognized the names of Cyrus and Aileen. It's hard for anyone to forget these two specifically. Not after I saw the state, they left my then most praised student in… it's oddly ironic that you're their successor, and you're also my favorite student." He pushed him forward towards the school exit. "As far as I know, no one spoke of the incident since then. Even when you were adopted, the official papers show your adopted parents' names, and it's stated as unknown information for your birth parents. Spyro signed it in front of me too." He walked Tango to the school courtyard, where Kyza had disappeared off to a few minutes ago.

The mere image of Spyro writing off his biological parents out of the picture set off a chain reaction of explosive lumps of hatred in him. Spyro, the only father that he knew, backstabbed him before he even knew how to fly on his own.

"Is there anything else I should know? All of this sudden candor by my elders makes up for the whole cover-up." He snarkily commented, having no more tears to weep. He resorted to other coping mechanisms. "Maybe I'm not even a dragon, and you're just filling my head with steam!"

Volteer glanced at him sideways while he threw a fit. At first, he was flaring with anger, arguably a part of him was just disappointed. Now, he pitied the boy. He could maintain a cold posture and usher him home with a typical warning to get a room for his sexual escapades, but he wasn't Terrador or Cyril. They'd probably come up with something much worse as punishment that he couldn't possibly fathom.

And this wasn't just about anyone; it was Tango. The dragon, who always sat at the front of his class since he was a wee child, never fell asleep during his lectures and went as far as staying after class to ask questions. Tango pestered him persistently over the elements, dragon kind and a gazillion other topics at the ridiculous hours, challenging his memorization and intellectual capabilities.

Instead of driving him to a dead-end, he would expand his mind, educate him. That was the way!

"You have every right to be mad, and I'm sure you've already heard that statement Ancestors know how many times already. I'm not going to add to your pain; I'm a dragon of logical reasoning. You've misunderstood Spyro, who is at the end of the day, your father. I believe he was scared of the truth as much as you are now, and he had to live with it, too, to shield you from potential harm. Give him the benefit of the doubt Tango, and he's not your enemy." He stoically urged him to consider this view. Tango blinked, falling behind Volteer now and then as the Guardian quickly brushed past him with long strides.

The Guardian left him to his own devices, to think long and hard about the consequences of a potential split in the family. Whether he appreciated it or not, Tango had no one else to count on than Spyro and Cynder. The purple dragon was the pillar of their small circle, and Cynder was his prime caretaker for many years. Deciding to break apart from them wasn't a choice to be made in a heartbeat.

Strolling through Warfang as he focused his throbbing brain to analyze every hint, every form of data he knew so far was the perfect way to recuperate from the recent storm. The support of the two girls in his life eased the load for the better or worse. He actively cursed himself with how selfishly and negatively he affected Avala and Kyza.

"Can you please… tell me where we're going?" Volteer had paused his extended rants to give him a break, opting for the other extreme end, total silence.

Volteer extended a paw to the side, blocking Tango's path. The nonchalant young paused, his eyes looking downcast. "If you had been paying attention to our path, you'd know already."

The lightning Guardian slid his tail tip under the docile dragon's chin and straightened the youngster's head up. They were standing in the farthest marble-paved road in Warfang, and Tango stared directly at the busy mix of species and raised a scaly eyebrow.

"How is idling in the heart of the city helping my case? Is there some symbolism hidden, or I'm being punished for trespassing after all?" He sat back, not caring at all for interrupting the flow of people walking up and down the lane.

"That is a broad statement coming from someone as witty and sharp as you, and I assume you haven't noticed the Dragon Temple that arises before our very eyes? Or have you finally reached Cyril's level of obliviousness?" He playfully nudged his student forth; the electricity Guardian already had the eye of the majority around him. Commoners started to thin out around them and make space for the political pundit to walk the usual path to his residence.

"I've never been in the Temple Volteer, it's only meant for leading figures like you and Spyro. What do you even expect to find in there?" Tango protested, hoping that he wasn't being put to trial for his miniscule crime earlier in the building that incarnated the values of dragon kind. He could only imagine the census he and his family would suffer from. As if he didn't have enough floating in his head already.

"I'm not famed for my patience," Volteer cheerily admitted as he proudly climbed the stairway, Tango following and panting behind, "but the Temple is known to house the largest archive of anyone that has lived, lives or isn't even born yet in Warfang and beyond. It includes that and many, many more scrolls that are deemed too controversial, unholy, and downright harmful to the general commonwealth. I should know I organized it entirely on my own!"

He chuckled heartily, reminiscent of placing each scroll in the right slot and then pulling it out and tucking it somewhere else, then throwing a tantrum and rearranging everything again. It got even more complicated when Cyril would join the fuss, and the petulant Guardian would drag him to a fruitless misadventure that ended in heaps of strewn, obsolescent material.

"Ah, it was an exciting ten-year timespan until I set the final scroll and called it a day." He swung the massive, jade embellished gate open and invited Tango in. The yellow one arrived a bit too late to the entrance, having to practically hop over each step and quickly running out of breath.

"I don't think…" He panted with his tongue lolling out "...the Temple is meant for s-someone my a-age…"

He felt done with today's work out session. As soon as they both escaped the curious glances of the passing lollygaggers, Tango halted again to catch his breath, sucking in huge breaths. "We could've flown up here!"

"That would be blasphemy to the founders who set these inspiring steppingstones for us to rise upon my ignorant disciple. Besides, I think I found a punishment worthy of your unscrupulous dealings." He wasn't nearly half as fazed by the colossal climb, unlike Tango. This elder kept his bearings in check out of sheer respect, and that made the youngster feel abashed.

After he concentrated his energy, his eyes immediately darted across the grandiose circular room. His eyes gleamed from all the shine and polish, reflecting on his glossy irises. His family's residence, undoubtedly the most lavish estate in the city paled in comparison to the careful balance of authority, inspiration, and opulence that this holy construct consisted of. That first image of the imposing pillars supporting the heavily intimidating, yet eerily serene sculpts hanging from the anaglyph ceiling would be imprinted into his mind like a masterfully crafted illustration.

Of course, the most conspicuous building in the city stored the answers he was looking for. He now hoped he had bumped into his mentor earlier and during a less revealing moment. The Temple breathed, the sculptures were one step from coming alive and coiling around his helpless form. It was a living crevice that earned his respect by merely numbing his facial features with its astonishing appeal.

The Temple breathed hope into him that he thought was lost a few moments ago.

"Volteer, am I even allowed to see this… This marvel?" He couldn't contain his excitement, biting his lip hard to choke out his faint squeaks. Volteer saw a phantom of himself when he entered through the same doors hundreds of years ago.

"Technically, you shouldn't even be allowed in the vicinity. But you're my special guest, with all the questions that might arise from my decision to bring you in. We only have one visit to look through the Archive, and I can't bring you here constantly. It's a shame we can't opt for a full tour of these halls. We shall hastily proceed to the Archive." He greeted one of the Temple's few and elite staff who bowed respectfully and didn't even dare to peek at Tango's form. The servant mole wouldn't risk removing his gaze from the Guardian and potentially offending the political figure.

"Is that the much-discussed Apocrypha of Warfang? I've heard it's endless, and even that would be an understatement!" He hopped lightly along the way.

"False," Volteer raised a claw in protest, the glint of his blade reflected a million times on the jade and gold decor around them "the Apocrypha is a myth that was debunked ages ago. We, the Guardians, including the late Ignitus, turned the place upside down, dusting off left and right and never saw a glimpse of them. It is an urban legend that we are repeatedly castigated of concealing from the public." He snapped at Tango, putting his claim down in a reprimanding tone.

"Suppose it existed, though, and you guys missed it accidentally? What do you think it holds?" He waited eagerly for a fulfilling reply.

"Hmm… Indeed, that is an entertaining thought that you should absolutely, totally, undoubtedly stop feeding with legends, myths, and fairytales. Older and wiser dragons than you have dedicated one, TWO lifetimes to discovering that archive and none came remotely close to it. We're here to assist you in unveiling your heritage, not to recite tales of the ancients!" He stomped his paw and whispered to a servant to hurry and unlock the chamber.

"Isn't our history built on legends, myths, and fairytales coming true and reshaping our perception of the universe with each new generation, though?" He flashed a smug smile.

Volteer, secretly taken aback by the odd, but the very precise and accurate choice of words coughed roughly, then stared at him through squinted eyes. His voice low, grumbling, and going at half the pace of his usual speech pattern. "When you uncover one of these legends like Spyro once revealed the Chronicler's Library, you come straight to me to deliver the news. Until then, aim low and strike hard."

Tango, finally satisfied at a moderate level with his mentor's response, zipped it. He wouldn't want to push his luck when he was in a volatile, unstable emotional state.

He shifted his weight from one paw to another while the Archive slowly revealed itself. There was a sliver of light, moments before the epiphany. The brightness of the neatly organized Archive, the most prestigious collection of knowledge known to the Realms, blinded his clueless, darting eyeballs.

The shelves housed both aging scrolls, massive tomes, and even packs of papers. It was all so carefully tucked in, to the point where the existence of such a fountain of information seemed surreal.

"Holy sh-" His maw was silenced by Volteer's paw, who shushed him as cursing was synonymous to defiling in the sacred Temple.

"This is the Archive, we store our knowledge, the information of our citizens, and the catalogs of events that happen day to day in Warfang. You can even find the manifest of the latest shipment of plate armor for our garrison in here. I have accounted for all of the documents to be stored and be easily accessible to the servants and me." Volteer puffed his chest proudly at his task.

Tango on the other paw was still ogling at the shelves, not searching for anything in particular. "Easily accessible, huh? This place isn't the Warfangian Library; that place is a mockery of the Archive."

"That's because the public libraries across Warfang are mere miniatures of the Archive, were copies of schooling material, literature books and lexicons are delivered too. The Archive is and always will be, the centerpiece of all our combined knowledge."

"Isn't that a little shady? Keeping a large margin of the knowledge hidden? I feel special for simply being so close to it." He shivered.

"By all means, we're not hiding anything. We safe keep the sensitive, classified documents and identities of all citizens from frisky paws with ill intentions. If someone desires a specific document that is present only in the Archive, they can borrow it after accomplishing our extensive, bureaucratic infested process to verify their legitimacy." He winked.

"Uh… that simple." He shrugged it off as another one of the Guardians' over the top antics. "So, where do we start?"

The Archive split in isles, with tall, sturdy storage units. Each unit curved at the edges, and they all made up a circular pattern with a primary study in the center. It was spacious, but the design didn't sacrifice efficacy for raw storage.

"We should rummage in the _Closed Cases and Criminal Records_. There ought to be something of interest." Volteer inquired and dashed, but Tango pulled him by the tail abruptly.

"Wait, what about this… Order? The Order of the Dark Crescent." He gulped, barely spelling out the name of the shadow "benefactor" that supposedly puppeteered his parents' actions.

"The Order of the Dark Crescent? Doesn't ring a bell… judging from the name, we're talking about a group of knights? What would an Order have to do with all this?" He asked, puzzled.

"I don't know… Cynder mentioned it. You think I should start from-"

" _The History Section_. All of the draconic history and beyond is mapped out in here." He exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Yeah, history… Where do I start then?" He gazed over the many isles wholly lost.

Volteer patted his back and chuckled. "You'd think for such a rich history we have. We'd fill up more than a measly 20 isles of hardback tomes."

"Uh… I don't think I can handle all of that knowledge myself." He protested with a whimper.

"Did you know that your brain at the height of your prime can process all of this information stored in the Archive and form logical equations in a total of two thousand three hundred and fifty-three years, assuming you reach that age first? I'm sure The History section should be done in a breeze for you." He ushered him the other way and vanished eagerly into the abyssal library.

Tango waddled over to the first aisle and threw his head up, sighing heavily and croaking, only to be harshly scorned by a nearby passing servant. He stared at the top of the first isle; this was another challenge set in his path, a less physical-oriented one and leaning more on the mental side.

The isle was taller than a Warfang Garrison tower. He would age and wither away in this gloomy, fancy dump before he had a chance of knowing the truth.

"Alright, Tango, buckle up… patience is a virtue."

He tugged at the first dusty tome and pulled it a bit too hastily, the brick-like history book tumbled off the shelf and followed by a heavy dose of gravity, the edge of the hardback cover landed with a thud on his left paw, slamming on the toes.

He hissed and clenched his fist, doing his best not to exclaim every swear he stored at the edge of his tongue.

"Hmph… bad start, really bad…" He spat through gritted teeth.

The limping dragon lugged the tome to the side and opened the table of contents.

* * *

It had been an excruciating day; he had lost track of time and couldn't help but miss the fresh air of the outside world. All the dust would make a fine crust inside his lungs and suffocate him.

He was coated in the thick ancient dust if the library. He looked pale instead of vibrant honeyed yellow, like a risen undead. From time to time, he would sneeze from the amount of dirt he snorted, prompting the safe keepers to shush him time and time again until he was forced to hold it in or got used to it.

He would never set foot in a library again, not that he'd need to. In his crusade for a hint as to who the reason behind his sorrow was, he had prepared himself for this week's history exam and the next, and the year's final test, and the graduation evaluation…

He had absorbed a lot of info that clouded his brain and made his ears drumming. His neck was aching from being craned over a book all day long, and he had to pause for the hundredth time to pop his muscles by twisting it in an uncomfortable and disturbing angle.

Even after all this mental struggle, no Order of the Dark Crescent seen in the pages. He knew he was looking at the right era, the correct order of events. Dragon knights didn't exist since the beginning of time, nor did the terms "chivalry" and "nobility." This Order wasn't in the primitive ages; they were a recent threat.

He yawned broadly, flipping another page indifferently. This venture would take more days than expected. He smacked his forehead in frustration and growled.

 _I could be spending the day with Kyza, but instead, I'm wasting my life away._

He thought of his obsession with disdain; he had neglected all that made his recent young life matter, his affection for Kyza, his sister's companionship, his passion for art, the smithy, studying. All of that was thrown out the window just so he could sit in a dustbin of a chamber, glued to the past, quite literally. His eyes never left the book pages, eyes puffy, and red from sleep deprivation.

He shouldn't be dragging Volteer down this lane, and the Guardian was, by all means, an asset of immeasurable value. He could take advantage of his mentorship to finally unlock his element.

And what if his full potential was tied to the Order? That was where his train of thought reached a dead end. He couldn't know unless he sought them out, even in these crummy, faded pages.

"Tango! Wake up… hey, don't you pass out on me now!" An unknown assailant roughly shook him, he quickly snapped his head to the source of the blurry figure, witnessing Volteer's snout inches away from his mug. He yelped and fell back.

"Ah, splendid! I thought you had given up this early! Zella is still reigning strong." He was carrying a package of sorts under his armpit.

"It's… past midnight? I still got nothing." He walked with slumped shoulders, accepting yet another defeat for the day.

"Indeed, and luckily, we have our first finding. I took a bit of extra time to hoard all the related documents to your parents' case, all the cataloged evidence, and even witness reports. It's all here!" He sprawled the papers onto a spacious, oakwood table.

Tango feasted his eyes on them, scrolls upon scrolls of text, even drawn sketches were thrown in there. "All of this? And you didn't make the connection that I was their son?"

"Sadly, no… Spyro chose to keep that knowledge to himself for reasons unknown. I'm sure he had the best intentions. You should've seen his predecessor." He shrugged, cold sweat running his forehead at the flashbacks.

Tango immediately got to studying it meticulously, despite him staying up way past curfew. The thirst for truth fueled his mind, he was finally able to quench it. The first few initial reports were nothing special, and he had heard the full story from the very same people who lived it. The documents described the events from both Spyro's and Cynder's side, but had no soul to them, no hint of remorse or fear.

They were regular reports for archiving, meant to be swept under the rug and forgotten; his parents did cause them misfortune.

He especially came close to throwing up at the mere mention of Avala being present at the time, and he couldn't digest it. That she came as close to a deadly experience as he had at the age of two. It struck him in the gut.

The gut-wrenching sensation caused his lungs to shrink, he exhaled a pawful of dust, breaking into a violent cough. Volteer's lips quivered as he wished to help but lacked the medical expertise to understand the reason for his discomfort.

"Take it easy… you've only seen half of it."

Probably not the wisest choice of words coming from the draconic walking encyclopedia, his empathy still lacked severely, yet Tango helped improve it in that regard.

Tango eased his chest, swiping the blunt and disturbing reports aside. What came next shook him even more. A detailed, charcoal sketch of a male and a female, both were two incredibly skillfully crafted headshots. He didn't recognize these individuals, so he looked to Volteer for confirmation.

"That's them, right?" He drilled into his eyes, searching for the smallest clue that would prove him a liar.

Volteer nodded silently and fidgeted his claws, not wanting to interrupt Tango's moment of revelation. The static pictures of these two, dead as far as he knew, dragons were eerie, especially with how he shared similarities from both sides.

His mother caught his eye; first, Aileen was indeed an innocent-looking dragoness, not even firmly as menacing Cynder appeared to strangers who didn't know here. She didn't fit the category of a gritty warrior, or a criminal no less. She couldn't have orchestrated a masterful scheme to take over Warfang.

She was a tool; he very much believed that.

As for his father, there wasn't much to say. He wanted to believe the sketcher had taken artistic freedom and went out of their way to depict him as lowlife scum, but he knew that wasn't the case for professionals. Cyrus took him by surprise; he was the image of a ragtag, hardened survivor.

Or a murderer in this specific case.

Yet they both loved each other, that was for sure, he was the product of their love. But he'd never get to feel the touch of their paws, hear the sound of their voices, or the scent of their scales. Only a pair of pictures that he would never get to take home. As far as he was told, they would see their plan to the end together or perish.

He stared at the sketches from all different angles, listing the features that he shared with each one mentally. He even put one sheet over the other, and the final image of both faces colliding was very much identical to him, with a noticeable age boost.

He had wasted a good quarter of an hour looking at their sketches, yet it didn't bring a smile to his face. There was nothing heartwarming about seeing a substantial criminal record dedicated to your dead parents. This scroll was a stigma in his family's history; they had them tagged with all this evidence that even their grandchildren would suffer from the shame.

 _Is that why Spyro wrote them off?_

The wounds were already deep enough, and it was up to him to let them mend or bleed out.

He saw a scroll depicting a happy couple, his parents once again holding an egg. His egg.

 _It couldn't be a ruse; they were a family._

His conflicted state brought him to tears, a single one stopped at his nose, then trickled onto the picture, penetrating the fragile material.

"No, no, no! Don't cry… over the evidence." Volteer immediately shut his maw after that, reconsidering his disrespectful words. Sometimes his logical mind trapped his spirit deep inside him. "That was poorly articulated, I apolo-"

"It's ok…" Tango sobbed unconvincingly. "... You've only been helping this far. You're not at fault for this, this travesty." He swiped his claw, ripping the scroll apart and sending pieces flying in the air along with other papers.

Volteer didn't stop him, and the servants wouldn't object to a Guardian either. The boy was venting his frustration at a piece of parchment, nothing harmful at all. It was normal.

Tango ruffled the sheets of other names, of locations with dark crystal stashes, armor, and smuggled weapons. They were organizing a coup. He growled in disdain for their fanatic actions.

His eyes went over the pictures and names of their accomplishes, dragons he never even imagined they existed, with deranged features and a red cross signed next to the profile, by a doctor whose name was Morris Totenhaus.

"What does that mean?" He pointed at the cross, pricking the parchment with his claws.

"The cross signifies the suspect was declared deceased after an examination. Almost all of the accomplices didn't make it, as well as the poor guard who got caught in the heat of battle. A life that was taken from us too soon." He shook his head. Despite the many wars he had lived through, he rejected the art of removing one's life. If only all dragons shared the same view and were dedicated to science and progression instead of coming up with new ways to brutalize each other.

Tango looked over the sketch of Tanzim, the dragon from Cynder's narration. This one had died to save Avala, and he was the only innocent one that night. He silently thanked him for his sacrifice and for keeping his only sibling safe from harm. If Tanzim hadn't of been there that fateful day…. Tango and Avala would never have met.

"You said 'almost,' meaning there is something more..." He turned to face him, as he unveiled the last profile, a deformed snout stared at him, an unpleasant dragon was its owner, and the record bore no red cross.

"This is the final living culprit of the attack, he attempted to commit suicide after Spyro defeated him in his residence, but the emergency medics managed to save his life, worth it or not." He grabbed the scroll to examine it too. "Spyro couldn't exile a person that was in a deep coma at the time, so he never left Warfang."

Tango ground his claws against the table. "So, he's still here, living among us?" He spelled put the question coldly and full of dread.

Volteer nodded. "Sadly, yes… however, he is in the deepest pits of grime and hopelessness. The maximum-security Dungeon of Warfang. He's one of the very few exceptions due to high lethality."

Tango spun around and rose to Volteer's chest. "All these years! Not only did they keep their death from me. They still didn't reveal the whole story. How can I speak to him? What's his name, where did he come from?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, the Dungeon is off-limits to non-personnel, and you're not family so you can't apply for visitation." He patted Tango on the shoulder. "You're a remarkable student and an even more wonderful person, Tango. You've finally earned your solace, this is the last remaining member of this made-up Order, and he's locked away for good, never uttered a word even when Spyro tried to persuade him by… unethical means. We gave up on him long ago, and now he's living an eternal sentence."

Tango was in contained tears. "There has to be more!"

"There's nothing more… your birth parents wanted the city, and they got the horns. The only good thing that came out of that whole ordeal was YOU. You can shape the future of Warfang if you commit yourself to it, you are the son of the most prestigious couple in the world, and you have the full support of ME. Don't throw it away. I gave you your freedom. It's time to repay me by moving on!" He pleaded from him, voice faltering at the end of each sentence.

Tango was at a loss for words.

"Is that what you promised your girlfriend? To not dwell on the past?" Volteer started walking towards the exit. "I think you've had enough dust for today. I'll keep you posted if I make any more intriguing discoveries. Go to rest and don't worry about your homework, I'll inform your teachers personally that you were assisting me on a scientific matter."

He kept the door to the light open for him. Before walking off, Tango glanced one last time at the half-torn family picture. He didn't need any of these memorabilia. His thoughts had taken a mental picture of both of them, the parents he would never get to know in this life, but maybe in the next when the time was right. But until that final day came, Tango could still search for more answers to his growing number of questions.

He had a living ghost to question.

* * *

 **A/N: A week ago I had thought that I was going to have to wait until after Thanksgiving or even up to Christmas to even get words onto a document. But somehow someway, my beta, TheDragonPhylakas, returned from his extended hiatus. I'm super fortunate to have someone like him as an ally and a friend. If everyone could go and give his stories some love or at least send him a message of any sort, it would mean the world to me. He deserves more credit than he thinks he does.**

 **Besides that, I hope you enjoyed the fluff scene between my two cuties.**

 **Though I don't take any credit for it, Thanks Zephyr!**

 **If all goes in my favor, my next update should be coming around New Years!**

 **God Bless and Take Care! See you next time!**

 **Atlas Out**


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